Ed Edd n Eddy's Nightmare Before Christmas
by AMX
Summary: It's Halloween, and Eddy's found another one of his brother's maps. But its destination isn't exactly what the Eds had in mind... Ed Edd n EddyNightmare Before Christmas crossover
1. The Strange Door Deep in the Woods

**Author's note**: Yes, it's me again! And having just completed my latest story _Eddy's Holes_, I'm finally able to work on this story that I've been thinking about for months. Ever since I became interested in _The Nightmare Before Christmas_, I've always thought about how much Ed Edd n Eddy would freak if somehow they wound up in Halloween Town. And that's pretty much how this story was born. Of course, all of the songs from the movie are going to be in this, and then some. Hopefully, people will like this story as much as my last ones.

And before I forget, I guess I have to mention that _The Nightmare Before Christmas _and _Ed Edd n Eddy _belong to their respective owners (but you probably already knew that, didn't you?) So, without any further ado, happy reading! ;) -**AMX

* * *

**

October 31. Halloween night. The night when ghosts and goblins come out to play. The night when young children obtain massive amounts of candy by going door to door in costumes. To some kids, the greatest night of the year. And then there are others who don't exactly have the same idea . . .

In a small town of Peach Creek, a young junior high student by the name of Eddy had just gotten home after serving his almost daily routine of detention. He remembered how the same thing had happened on last Halloween. But this Halloween was going to be different. Because Eddy had made the bold decision that he and his two friends, Ed and Edd (known to everyone as Double D) would not be trick-or-treating that year.

Eddy was completely disgusted by Halloween after what had happened last year. He had fallen for another one of his older brother's stupid jokes (the so-called map to "Spook-E-Ville" ended up sending the three friends in a big circle), and he and Double D had been beaten up for something Ed had done (could he help it that Ed had beaten up all the other kids in the cul-de-sac because of his stupid Halloween hallucinations?) And even worse, Ed got out of the whole thing without even a scratch! So unfair!

But Eddy, for once in his life, decided to learn from his mistake. He wasn't going to fall for another one of his brother's stupid pranks. Because he was staying home that Halloween night. But as soon as Eddy got home, he discovered something that he hadn't counted on before: he had absolutely nothing to do. After about five minutes, he declared that he was officially bored.

So Eddy roamed around the house, looking for something-_any_thing to do to occupy his time. Soon enough, his boredom led him to the attic. Eddy always liked going up to the attic. Since his parents were pack rats, they had some of the most interesting stuff Eddy had ever seen. Unless you counted Eddy's Christmas presents, which consisted of clothes year after year. This was the reason why Eddy wasn't too fond of Christmas either.

But tonight, Eddy felt like doing something different. There was a corner of the attic that he hadn't fully explored before. He decided that if anything would be able to occupy his time, that would. So, he slowly made his way to the darker corner of the attic.

Eddy began to sift through the old boxes. It was mostly the same old stuff: old clothes, old photos, nothing all that interesting. "Pfft. Figures," Eddy mumbled. He finally had a night to himself, and nothing exciting. Looking around the attic again, Eddy leaned back against the wall.

Suddenly, Eddy felt a board behind him shift slightly. He turned around. Was one of the boards loose? He began to mess with the boards, seeing if one would pop off. The last board he tried came off in his hands.

There was a secret compartment behind the board! How had Eddy missed that? He loved secrets. Especially if they were juicy secrets! He quickly peered inside the small compartment. But all that was in it was a rolled-up piece of paper. Of course, Eddy's curiosity was piqued, and he had to look at the paper. He took it out and unrolled it. Then his eyes widened.

It was a map! And it looked like it led to some place from Eddy's house! And even better, the destination looked like a perfect spot for some healthy trick-or-treat fanatics. Eddy was ecstatic. He was about to run down to the phone to call Double D and Ed. . .but then he stopped. He looked at the map again. Considering where he had found it, the map was probably his brother's. And considering what had happened the last few times he had followed one of his brother's maps, it probably led to trouble. But there was something different about this map. It actually looked authentic. There was no way his brother could draw it by hand. He just couldn't pass up this opportunity.

Eddy ran down to the phone. He quickly dialed Double D's number and put Ed through by conference call.

"Hello?" a polite voice answered first.

"My name is Ed!" a second voice said.

"Ed, Double D, put on your Halloween costumes and meet me at my house!" said Eddy. "I got something here that will rock your socks!"

"Excuse me?" asked Double D. "Eddy, I thought we went over this. You said you didn't want to trick-or-treat because of what happened last year, remember?"

"Well, yeah, but that was before I found this map!" said Eddy. "And I'm confident that it will lead us right to . . . "

"Another one of your brother's maps?" asked Double D. "Eddy, have you learned nothing?"

"Look, will you guys just put on your costumes and get over here?" asked Eddy. "I'll see you later!"

"Trick-or-treat for me!" exclaimed Ed.

After Eddy hung up, he ran to his room. He needed a costume, and fast. He hadn't prepared a costume for this year because of his original plans, but now he had a good reason to have one. He finally settled on wearing his Zombie Elvis costume from last year. Thankfully, it wasn't _too _battered.

Ed and Double D were right on time. As soon as Eddy finished putting his costume on, the doorbell rang. Eddy ran to answer it. Apparently, Ed and Double D hadn't prepared anything for that year either. Ed was wearing his Lothar Viking outfit, and Double D was in his Bubonic Plague costume, both from last year.

"What took you so long?" asked Eddy.

"Can we just see the map?" asked Double D.

"See for yourself, Sockhead," said Eddy, handing Double D the map.

Double D carefully examined the map. "Hmm . . . well Eddy, now that I look at it, you're actually right. This map _is _different from your brother's past creations. I don't think he could have drawn all this."

"Told ya," said Eddy. "This map must lead to the real Spook-E-Ville! I just knew he was holding out on me!"

"Spook-E-Ville, Double D!" yelled Ed.

"Well, hopefully things will be better than they were last year," said Double D. "Right, Ed?" This year, Double D had made Ed cut back on his monster movies because of Ed's behavior last year.

"I have been a good boy, Double D," said Ed.

"Good," said Double D. "Then let's begin, shall we?"

---

So the three Eds began to follow the map into the night. With Double D leading (mostly because he was the only one who could read the map), they weren't paying much attention to exactly where they were going. Double D was focused on keeping his coordinates straight, Ed (or Lothar, as he called himself), was busy fighting off imaginary monsters with his trusty spatula, and Eddy was lost in fantasies of how much candy he was going to get once they got to their destination.

When Double D finally looked up to see where they were, he realized that the map had led the three boys deep into the woods outside of Peach Creek. "Oh my," he said. "I don't think I've ever been this deep into the woods before. I wonder where exactly we're going?"

"Ah, who cares?" asked Eddy. "Just as long as we get the jumbo candy bars. They're the good kind!"

And so they walked on. Before Double D knew it, they were at the endpoint on the map. He looked up and saw just what the three boys had been led to. Then, he made an abrupt stop. This caused Ed to crash into Double D, and Eddy to crash into Ed, and knocking the map out of Double D's hands in the process.

"What'd you do that for, Double D?" asked Eddy. Then he too saw what was in front of them.

It was a tree. But it didn't look like any of the other trees in the forest. This tree definitely stood out. The reason it stood out was because there was a big, orange, grinning jack o' lantern carved into it!

"What the heck?" asked Eddy.

"Well, it certainly seems that someone had a lot of time on their hands," said Double D. Then he took a closer look at the jack o' lantern. "Hmm . . . hey, I don't think this is just a carving, gentlemen. I think it's . . . a door!"

"A door in a tree?" asked Eddy.

"It will open up and lead us down straight into the depths of Hades!" said Ed. "Can I go in first?"

"Hang onto your neck, Monobrow," said Eddy. "Why would my brother have a map that would lead to this tree?"

"Well, it must have some importance to your brother," said Double D. "I'll look at the map again . . . " Then Double D saw the map lying face down on the ground. "Hello?"

"What now?" asked Eddy.

"Eddy, there's something written on the back of this map," said Double D, picking the map up. "I think it's . . . a poem."

"What?" asked Eddy. "I don't think my brother was a whiz at poetry. What's it say?"

"Here, I'll read it aloud," said Double D. He cleared his throat.

"_Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems_

_In a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams._

_For the story that you are about to be told_

_Takes place in the holiday worlds of old._

_Now, you've probably wondered where holidays come from._

_If you haven't, I'd say it's time you've begun._"

Eddy stared at the poem on the back of the map. "What the heck does that mean?" he asked.

"I have no idea," said Double D.

Just then, the three Eds heard a loud creaking noise behind them. They turned around. The jack o' lantern door was wide open.

"Uh . . . who did that?" asked Eddy.

"Ed?" asked Double D.

"It wasn't me, Double D!" said Ed. "Lothar has been a good Viking!"

Then, something strange happened. Nearby leaves that were on the ground began to flutter about in the breeze.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Eddy.

"That's strange . . . " said Double D. "The weather report said there wouldn't be any wind tonight . . . "

"The door is sucking us in!" yelled Ed. "It wants to eat us!"

"What?" Eddy and Double D asked together.

And sure enough, Ed seemed to be right. The wind was coming from inside the door. And it was pulling the three boys in! The Eds tried to fight the growing current, but then it suddenly became so strong that it lifted the three terrified boys up into the air! One by one, the Eds were sucked into the door. And as soon as all three boys were sucked in, the jack o' lantern door shut behind them. The only sound that could be heard was the screams of the Eds, growing fainter and fainter as they fell deeper and deeper . . .

Then . . . nothing. Silence. The wind had died down. All the leaves fluttered back onto the ground. And all that remained was the grinning jack o' lantern door.


	2. This is Halloween

**Author's note**: "This is Halloween" belongs to its respective owner (why I'm even saying this, I have no idea . . . )

* * *

Faraway, in a dark forest, there was a single tree that stood out. This tree stood out because carved into the trunk was a door shaped like a pink house. 

Usually in this part of the forest, it was completely silent. But at that moment, it was anything but. The screams of three terrified boys filled the air. All of the sudden, the door shaped like a pink house swung open, and a mighty wind shot out.

Double D was shot out of the door first. He landed on the ground with a THUD. But before he could get up, Eddy was shot out of the door and landed on Double D. The boy with the sock hat grunted as Eddy fell on him, then grunted a second time as Ed, who was the heaviest, landed on both of them.

"Sandwich!" said Ed as he landed on his friends.

All three Eds let out a moan. What had just happened?

"Everyone okay?" Eddy asked after he finally found his voice.

"Lothar is unscathed!" said Ed. "Oh, and Double D's fine because he broke the fall with his face. See?"

"Yes, well, now that we have that settled . . . CAN WE PLEASE MOVE OURSELVES TO A MORE COMFORTABLE POSITION?" asked Double D.

"All right, all right," said Eddy, pushing Ed off. "Don't have a bird, Double D. Sheesh . . . "

After the three boys got their bodies untangled, they were able to stand up and get a good look at their surroundings. But all they saw was a very dark forest with a lot of bare, mangled-looking trees. And that made for a very creepy-feeling atmosphere.

"Uh . . . where are we?" asked Eddy.

"Oh dear," said Double D. "I fear something may have happened when that jack o' lantern door was opened. I've never seen this place before!"

"Ooh, I know what happened!" said Ed.

"No wait, let me guess, Ed," said Eddy. "There was a wormhole contained inside the door and it transported us to another universe. Am I right?"

"Not even close, Eddy!" said Ed. "There was a wormhole contained inside the door and it transported us to another universe!"

Eddy just stood there, speechless at his friend. "Ed, how do you even find your way out of bed in the morning?" he asked his friend.

"Oh dear . . . " said Double D. Ed and Eddy looked at their friend. Double D had a shocked look on his face.

"What's with you?" asked Eddy.

"Eddy . . . look," said Double D. He handed Eddy the map.

"Yeah, it's a map of Peach Creek," said Eddy. "So. . ." Before he could finish his sentence, he realized why Double D was so shocked.

The entire map had changed! It no longer showed any sign of Peach Creek! All it showed was a trail leading from a tree in a forest to another town, which unfortunately was unnamed on the map.

"I. . . I don't understand!" said Double D. "What on earth happened?"

"Well, let's see . . . " said Eddy. "We were walking through the forest, and the map led us right to that tree . . . " It was then that Eddy saw the new tree. The one with the Pink House Door on it. "What the heck?"

"Why, this looks like one of the houses from back home," said Double D. "This is very strange . . . Why on earth would a door that looks like this be here?"

"And where is "here" anyway?" added Eddy.

"Follow the map we must to our destination we will figure out!" said Ed.

Double D and Eddy stared at their friend. Then Double D spoke.

"Well, apart from Ed's once again deplorable sentence structure, I'm in agreement with him. It seems that the only way we'll find out what's going on is if we follow the map," he said.

"So, if we follow this trail, it'll lead us to Spook-E-Ville, right?" asked Eddy.

"Well, that should be the general plan," said Double D.

That's when Eddy got excited. "Well then, what are we waiting for?" he asked. "Lead the way, Sockhead!"

"All right, all right," said Double D. "Please be patient, Eddy."

---

And so the three Eds followed the new path on the newly revised map. They soon found their way out of the creepy woods. But things didn't seem to feel any better, appearance-wise. To Double D's horror, the map led right through a graveyard. So the three boys had to make their way through a vast area of tombstones.

As they moved on, they went through a pumpkin patch. And every pumpkin had a jack o' lantern face carved into it. But the thing that intrigued the boys most of all was the giant hill in the center of the past. The end of it curled in to form a spiral.

"I wonder what it's called?" asked Double D.

"Ah, for all we know, it's called 'Spiral Hill'," said Eddy. "Come on! Keep going!"

"_He's so stubborn . . . _" Double D thought as he kept his eyes on the map.

Pretty soon, the map led the three boys straight to . . . an open gate. And on the other side, there appeared to be a huge town. But there was something eerily intimidating about the town. It looked . . . well, it looked downright macabre!

"It's Spook-E-Ville!" yelled Eddy.

"Eddy, please wait!" said Double D. "I have a bad feeling about this place. Doesn't something feel . . . not quite right?"

"Oh, what else is new? Why aren't you excited, Double D?" asked Eddy. "Think of the candy we're gonna rake in here!"

"But . . . Eddy . . . " said Double D.

"Will you relax for once in your life?" asked Eddy. "We'll just hit a few houses, and once we get enough good stuff, we'll head back home. I promise!"

"But Eddy, we don't even know where we are!" protested Double D.

"Sure we do!" said Eddy. "We're in Spook-E-Ville! Let's go!" And with that, he ran straight into the town.

"Oh dear . . . " said Double D.

"It's totally worth it Double D!" said Ed, grabbing his nervous friend and half-dragging him into the town.

Ed and Double D quickly caught up with Eddy, and all three boys slowed to a walk. As they walked through the town, with Eddy wondering what house they should hit first, Double D noticed some other people walking down the streets. What amazed him, however, was that all their costumes looked so _real_ . . . much more real than their costumes.

"Um . . . Eddy . . . ?" Double D asked nervously.

"What is it Double D?" asked Eddy.

"Don't you notice something strange about the costumes these other people are wearing?" asked Double D.

"What other people?" asked Eddy.

Double D was shocked. "Are you that oblivious to things happening around you, man?" he almost shouted. Luckily, he realized what he was doing and quickly quieted down, so not to make a scene. "Just look at the costumes these other people have on. Don't they seem awfully . . . realistic?"

"So, these people know how to celebrate Halloween right," said Eddy. "Relax, Double D. Just kick back and enjoy the scenery."

"Something tells me that's not going to be easy . . . " said Double D, looking around the dark, creepy-looking town.

"This place reminds me of the town from "I Was a Teenage Blood-Sucking Leech Boy," the miniseries," said Ed.

"Uh . . . thank you for sharing that, Ed," said Double D in his most polite voice.

As the boys walked deeper into the town, they noticed that all the townspeople were gathering in the center. Soon, they stopped right in front of a fountain pouring out green water ("So unsanitary . . . " said Double D). And before the three boys knew what was happening, the town was filled with . . . singing! All the boys could do was listen to the song the townspeople were singing. And even Double D had to admit, it had a pretty catchy tune.

Shadow:** _Boys and girls of every age  
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?_**_  
_  
Siamese Shadow:** _Come with us and you will see  
This, our town of Halloween_**_  
_  
Pumpkin Patch Chorus:** _This is Halloween, this is Halloween  
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night_**_  
_  
Ghosts: **_This is Halloween, everybody make a scene  
Trick or treat till the neighbor's gonna die of fright  
It's our town, everybody scream  
In this town of Halloween_**  
Creature Under Bed:_ **I am the one hiding under your bed  
Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red**  
_  
Man Under The Stairs:** _I am the one hiding under your stairs  
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair_**_  
_

Corpse Chorus: _**This is Halloween, this is Halloween**  
_  
Vampires: **_Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!  
In this town we call home  
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song_**

---

"Man, is this town great or what?" asked Eddy.

"This is so cool!" said Ed.

But as Double D was listening to the song, an almost sickening realization had dawned over them. "Eddy, I think I just figured out why these costumes look so real!" he said to his friend.

"Why?" asked Eddy. But before Double D could respond, they were interrupted.

---

Mayor: **_In this town, don't we love it now?  
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise_**

Corpse Chorus: **_'Round that corner, man, hiding in the trash can  
Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll --_**

Harlequin Demon: **_Scream!_**

Werewolf: **_This is Halloween_**

Harlequin Demon: **_Red and black_**

Melting Man: **_And slimy green_**

Werewolf: **_Aren't you scared?_**

Witches: **_Well, that's just fine  
_****_Say it once, say it twice  
Take a chance and roll the dice  
Ride with the moon in the dead of night_**

Hanging Tree: **_Everybody scream, everybody scream_**

Hanged Men: **_In our town of Halloween_**

Clown:**_ I am the clown with the tear-away face  
Here in a flash and gone without a trace_**

Second Ghoul:**_ I am the "who" when you call "Who's there?"  
I am the wind blowing through your hair_**

Oogie Boogie Shadow: **_I am the shadow on the moon at night  
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright_**

Corpse Chorus: **_This is Halloween, this is Halloween  
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!  
Halloween! Halloween!_**

---

"So, what were you saying, Double D?" asked Eddy.

Double D sighed. "I was saying that the reason these costumes look so real is because they _are _real!" he said, almost on the brink of hysteria.

Ed's eyes widened. Then a big grin appeared on his face. "I want to touch the monsters!" he exclaimed.

"Don't even think about it, mister!" said Double D.

---

Child Corpse Trio:**_ Tender lumplings everywhere  
Life's no fun without a good scare_**

Parent Corpses: **_That's our job, but we're not mean  
In our town of Halloween_**

Corpse Chorus: **_In this town_**

Mayor: **_Don't we love it now?_**  
Mayor With Corpse Chorus: **_Everyone's waiting for the next surprise_**

Corpse Chorus: **_Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back  
And scream like a banshee  
Make you jump out of your skin  
This is Halloween, everybody scream  
Won't ya please make way for a very special guy_**

**_Our man Jack is king of the pumpkin patch  
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now_**

Everyone: **_This is Halloween, this is Halloween  
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_**

Corpse Child Trio: **_In this town we call home  
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song_**

Everyone: **_La la-la la, Halloween! Halloween!  
_**_**La la-la la, Halloween! Halloween . . . **_

As the song began to die down, everyone started laughing. And surprisingly, Ed and Eddy were laughing along with them! But of course, Double D wasn't finding the situation funny at all.

"Why on earth are you two laughing?" Double D asked his friends.

"'Cause this place is so cool!" said Ed.

"Yeah Double D," said Eddy. "Besides, you heard what they said in the song. They scare people, but they aren't gonna hurt us."

"Well, yes . . . " said Double D. That was actually a good point. "But even so, I didn't like that last part. 'Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back and scream like a banshee'? Doesn't that concern either of you?"

"Aw, come on Double D!" said Ed. "Banshee screams are the best kind!"

"Only one man's opinion . . . " said Double D.

"Hey, what's that?" asked Eddy, pointing.

Double D and Ed looked to where Eddy was pointing. And they weren't the only ones. It seemed all the townspeople had stopped to look.

A large, bald fellow with pale skin and an axe through his head was pulling something through the gate. It was a scarecrow with a jack o' lantern head riding a horse made of straw. The scarecrow was holding a blazing torch.

"What the heck is that thing?" asked Eddy.

"Well, whatever it is, it's captivated every person here," said Double D.

"Shush!" said Ed. He wanted to see this.

Suddenly, the scarecrow moved! It took the torch and shoved it _straight into his mouth_! Then the scarecrow's whole body went ablaze (Double D guessed this was because the straw was so dry). Then the blazing scarecrow did another dramatic feat: it jumped high into the air, off the straw horse.

Double D had to admit, this scarecrow's act was a bit impressive. Then he suddenly began to panic. The scarecrow was diving to right where he, Ed, and Eddy were standing, and he was still on fire! Double D immediately put his arms in front of his face and waited for the blistering inferno he was sure to suffer.

But nothing happened.

Double D quickly opened his eyes and was just able to catch a glimpse of the flaming scarecrow disappearing into the fountain.

"Aw, where'd he go?" asked Ed. "COME BACK, SCARECROW GUY!" he said, bending over the fountain.

"Ed!" Eddy and Double D said at the same time, pulling their friend back. And it was a good thing they did.

Just as Eddy and Double D pulled Ed back, something rose up from the fountain. The three boys watched in fascination as a skeleton with the longest legs Double D had ever seen, the biggest grin Eddy had ever seen, and the creepiest aura Ed had ever felt rose from the bright green water. He had a black suit with white pinstripes on, and a bow tie in the shape of a bat.

All the townspeople cheered. And of course, Ed cheered right along with them "WAY TO GO, SKELETON GUY!" he exclaimed. Then he stopped. "Um . . . he looks familiar . . . " he said.

Eddy also clapped, but Double D was too close to the action for his liking. "Uh . . . I can't see a thing up here," he said, creating an excuse for him to move back. "Excuse me." Then he eagerly pushed through the crowd all the way to the back. As soon as he had some elbow room, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Much better," he said.

Double D was about to turn his attention back to in front of him, but someone to the left of him caught his eye. It was a woman. Well . . . sort of. She looked more like a life-sized rag doll. She had long red hair and stitches all over her pale skinned body. Even her dress looked like it was poorly sewn together. She was partially hiding behind a tree with a face on it. However, Double D decided to shake this idea off and turned his attention back to in front of him.

Double D could still see Eddy and Ed. Everyone's attention was directed toward the skeleton. And everyone seemed to be talking at once.

"We did it!"

"Wasn't it terrifying?"

"What a night!"

A short man with a cone-shaped head and a very long top hat walked up to the skeleton. He was wearing a badge that said "Mayor." So that was what Double D guessed he was. "Great Halloween, everybody," he said to the crowd.

"I believe it was our most horrible yet," said the skeleton. "Thank you, everyone."

"No, thanks to you, Jack," said the Mayor. "Without your brilliant leadership . . . "

"Not at all," said the skeleton, Jack.

Then everyone began to talk at once again.

"You're such a scream, Jack!"

"You're a witch's fondest dream!"

"You made walls fall, Jack."

"Walls fall? You made the very _mountains_ crack, Jack!"

But in the midst of all the commotion, a sound that once again came to the left of Double D met his ears. He turned to the left and had to stifle a gasp.

A small, bald man wearing a lab coat and in an electric wheelchair was yanking on the rag doll woman's arm.

"The deadly nightshade you slipped me wore off, Sally," said the man.

"Let go!" said the rag doll woman, Sally.

"You're not ready for so much excitement!"

"Yes I am! Stop this!"

"You're coming with me!"

"No, I'm not!" said Sally. She suddenly reached up and pulled something from her right arm, the one the man was holding. Double D thought it looked like a thread. He stifled another gasp as Sally's right arm popped off in the man's hand. The man was sent toppling out of his wheelchair, still holding the stray arm as Sally ran off.

"Come back here, you foolish oaf!" he called after her, just as the stray arm he was holding started to bonk him on his bald head.

Double D did his best not to laugh out loud at the sight in front of him. But still, one small laugh escaped his lips.

And unfortunately, the man heard it. He shot Double D a death glare as he tried to get up. Actually, Double D couldn't tell if it was a death glare because of the glasses the man was wearing, but it still freaked him out.

"Oh look, my shoe's untied . . . over there," Double D quickly said. Then he ran off. But he stopped when somebody grabbed his arm.

"Double D, come on!" Hearing Eddy's voice caused a wave of relief to wash over Double D. "We gotta hurry or we'll lose him!"

"Lose who, Eddy?" asked Double D.

"Jack!" said Eddy. "We gotta hurry or we'll lose Jack!" Then he ran away from the crowd. Ed followed him, but there was something different about him. He looked deep in thought.

Double D quickly ran after his two friends. It wasn't a long run, but he was still panting heavily when he finally caught up.

"Shhhh!" Eddy shushed him. "Do you want them to hear us?"

"Eddy, may I ask why are we following this "Jack" character?" asked Double D.

"I heard people in that town say that Jack was a king!" said Eddy. "And when there's a kings, there's cash!"

Double D caught a glimpse of dollar signs in his friend's eyes. "Eddy, don't tell me you're planning to scam Jack!"

Eddy looked at his friend. "Okay, I won't," he said. Then the three boys peered around the wall they were against.

Jack was walking past a musical trio, which consisted of a bass player, an accordion player, and a saxophone player. But there was something different about Jack. He didn't look so happy anymore. He sulked as he walked.

"Nice work, Bone Daddy," said the saxophone player.

"Yeah, I guess so," said Jack, forcing a smile. But it immediately disappeared. "Just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that . . . "

"Huh?" asked Eddy as he watched Jack walk away. "What's his problem? Did he not see all those people cheering for him?"

"Maybe he's tired," suggested Double D.

"Yeah, a _skeleton_ tired?" asked Eddy. "Get with the program, Double D."

"I think I just thunk," said Ed, speaking for the first time.

"Again with the questionable English, Ed?" asked Double D.

Ed reached into his pocket and pulled out a comic book. He held it up for his friends to see. Eddy and Double D's eyes widened. There, on the cover of Ed's comic book, was a picture of Jack. The title above his picture read "The Pumpkin King."

"Geez Ed, you've got a comic book for everything, don't you?" asked Eddy.

"'The Pumpkin King'?" asked Double D. "What's that mean?"

"It means that skeleton man is none other than Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King!" said Ed. "He's the ruler of Halloween! The Master of Terror! The King of Nightmares!"

"You mean he's not a _real_ king?" asked Eddy, the disappointment obvious in his voice.

"Is that all you ever think about, Eddy?" asked Double D. "Money?"

"Nope," said Eddy. "I think about candy, too. And so far, I'm not seeing any in this Spook-E-Ville. What do you think, Ed?"

But when Eddy and Double D looked, Ed was not there.

"Wait for me, Pumpkin King!" Eddy and Double D heard further down the sidewalk. "You must sign my comic book!"

"ED!" the remaining two boys yelled together. They quickly ran after their overexcited friend.

But there was one thing that none of the three boys knew. What they didn't know was that this was the start of a great adventure. For all three of them.


	3. Jack's Lament, Stouthearted Eds

**Author's note**: "Stouthearted Eds," the song the Eds sing in this chapter, is based on the song "Stouthearted Men" from the musical _The New Moon_. I just made up the new words. "Stouthearted Men" and _The New Moon _belong to their respective owners.

* * *

Eddy and Double D were able to catch up to Ed before he could make a spectacle of himself. Then Eddy quickly explained to Ed that they had to be sneaky and quiet so Jack wouldn't see them. Thankfully, the message actually got to Ed's tiny brain that night, and he said he understood. 

So the three Eds followed the tall, forlorn-looking skeleton at a safe distance. Before they knew it, they found themselves in the graveyard by the pumpkin patch again. They quickly ducked behind a tombstone and peered around it, hoping like heck Jack didn't see them.

They watched as Jack stopped near a small grave that looked like a doghouse. The name on the doghouse grave read "Zero." Jack patted his lap two times. A small ghost dog with a bright orange nose popped out of the grave and began to follow Jack as he continued to walk.

Jack walked into the pumpkin patch and to the top of Spiral Hill. All the Eds could see of him now was a tall, dark silhouette against the bright yellow moon. Then, all of the sudden, they heard the sound of the Pumpkin King explaining his frustrations in song.

Jack: **_There are few who'd deny, at what I do I am the best  
For my talents are renowned far and wide  
When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night  
I excel without ever even trying_**

**_With the slightest little effort of my ghostlike charms  
I have seen grown men give out a shriek  
With the wave of my hand, and a well-placed moan  
I have swept the very bravest off their feet_**

**_Yet, year after year, it's the same routine  
And I grow so weary of the sound of screams  
And I, Jack, the Pumpkin King  
Have grown so tired of the same old thing_**

**_Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones  
An emptiness began to grow  
There's something out there, far from my home  
A longing that I've never known._**

---

Eddy ducked down back behind the grave. "Man, what's with this guy?" he asked Double D and Ed. "He's practically worshiped and he's miserable?"

"Well Eddy, some of the most famous and successful people in the world are also the most miserable," said Double D. "It's a proven fact."

"And you know what else they say," said Ed. "'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.'"

But instead of laughing, Double D and Eddy frowned at the irony of Ed's saying. "So Ed," said Eddy. "Tell us more about this guy."

"Can do, Eddy," said Ed. He opened his comic book about Jack Skellington. Then he began to read.

---****

Ed:**_ He's a master of fright, and a demon of light  
And he'll scare you right out of your pants  
To a guy in Kentucky, he's Mister Unlucky  
And he's known throughout England and France _**

**_And since he is dead, he can take off his head  
To recite Shakespearean quotations  
No animal nor man can scream like he can  
With the fury of his, uh, his . . ._**

Ed paused and quickly flipped through the pages.

Ed: **_. . .recitations. _**Am I a good reader or what?

"Shhhh!" Eddy hissed furiously. He pointed at Jack. The three boys cautiously peered over the tombstone again.

---****

Jack:**_ But who here would ever understand  
That the Pumpkin King with the skeleton grin  
Would tire of his crown, if they only understood  
He'd give it all up if he only could_**

**_Oh, there's an empty place in my bones  
That calls out for something unknown  
The fame and praise come year after year  
Does nothing for these empty tears._**

---

Then the Eds watched as the spiral of Spiral Hill uncurled into a path toward the same woods the Eds had come from. Jack and the little ghost dog (Double D guessed that his name was Zero) walked down the path and disappeared into the woods.

It wasn't until about thirty seconds later that the Eds came out of their hiding place. But as Double D got up, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. But when he turned back, no one was there. He could have sworn that he saw Sally leaving the graveyard . . .

"I can't believe this guy!" Eddy said in frustration, snapping Double D back to attention. "He wants to give up his fame? How stupid can you get?"

"Actually Eddy, that's what most successful people wish for," said Double D. "It's not really worth it to have what you want but not be happy about it. Another proven fact."

"Yeah, well, I know one successful guy that's not gonna end up like that," said Eddy.

"And who might that be?" asked Double D.

"Me, of course!" said Eddy.

Double D laughed at this. "You're joking, right?" he asked.

"No!" said Eddy. "Okay, so I'm not the most successful person now, but just you wait! My day's gonna come soon! And I'm gonna savor every moment of it!"

"And I suppose once you obtain that power, you're not going to need Ed and me anymore," said Double D.

"What are you, nuts?" asked Eddy. "I can't do a thing without your brain and Ed's empty-headedness!"

Double D was surprised by this statement. "You really mean that, Eddy?"

"Sure!" said Eddy. "And I know that you guys can't do anything without me either. As long as we're together, at least we actually have a chance at getting jawbreakers."

"Ah yes, jawbreakers," said Double D. "The one thing we all have in common."

"Yum yum yum!" said Ed.

"Exactly!" said Eddy. "And since I'm obviously the brains of this operation, I say we go into those woods and keep following Jack. Then once we figure out a little more about this Spook-E-Ville, we can go home. I promise. 'Cause we're the brave and determined Eds."

"Determined, maybe," said Double D. "But I'm not so sure about the "brave" part. But even so, I think there's a word for what we are: Stouthearted."

"Stouthearted . . . " said Eddy. "That gives me an idea . . . "

"Eddy, I hear a marching cadence," said Double D. "Are you going to sing?"

"Yep," said Eddy. Then Ed and Double D watched as Eddy began to march over to Spiral Hill, while singing this song.

(Sing to the tune of "Stouthearted Men.")

Eddy: **_We are the Eds  
_**_**Yes, the Stouthearted Eds  
**__**And we fight for the candy we adore**_

_**Start you with ten  
**__**Of our stouthearted scams  
**__**It's okay, we have ten thousand more, oh!**_

_**Shoulder to shoulder  
**__**And bolder and bolder  
**__**We grow as we go through the fore**_

_**Then, everything in the world  
**__**Just halts and fails our plan**_

_**But, Stouthearted Eds  
**__**Must stick together Ed to Ed!**_

Soon, Double D and Ed were marching along with Eddy. And as they got to Spiral Hill, they began to get in the singing mood, too.

Edd: **_We do have dreams  
_**_**But alas, they don't come true**_

Eddy: **_All of our schemes  
_**_**They all fail because of you**_

Ed: **_Do not fear my friends, we have spirit  
_**_**And one day that will see us through**_

Ed Edd n Eddy: **_Scams, we've expired  
_**_**Others thrown, into fire**_

Eddy: **_But the strong obey  
_**_**When a strong Ed shows them the way . . . **_

---

"And who might that be, Eddy?" joked Double D.

Eddy frowned as a response. But he was soon marching along with his friends again.

They immediately found out that Spiral Hill uncoiled automatically, and they began to walk down the same path Jack took into the forest. And they were still singing.

---

Ed Edd n Eddy: **_We are the Eds  
_**_**Yes, the Stouthearted Eds  
**__**And we fight for the candy we adore**_

_**Start you with ten  
**__**Of our stouthearted scams  
**__**It's okay, we have ten thousand more, oh!**_

_**Shoulder to shoulder  
**__**And bolder and bolder  
**__**We grow, as we go through the fore**_

_**Then, everything in the world  
**__**Just halts and fails our plan**_

_**But, Stouthearted Eds  
**__**Must stick together Ed to Ed!**_

---

When the Eds stopped singing, they started laughing at the song they had just made up. They were now at the entrance of the woods.

"Read to me what is on the sign, Double D," said Ed.

Sure enough, there was a sign next to the entrance. The letters were faded, so Double D had to squint to make them out.

"'Welcome to the Hinterlands,'" he read. "'You can go in. . .but you can never come out.'" He gulped after he read the last part.

"Aw, they're just trying to scare us again," said Eddy. "We've been through these woods before. We can take it. Because we're the Stouthearted Eds, remember?"

Double D chuckled. "All right," he said. "But just remember, we don't want to make too much noise. We have to keep a low profile, look out for anything dangerous . . . "

But when Double D looked up, he saw that Eddy and Ed were already making their way into the woods.

". . .And now, we need to stop talking to ourselves," Double D said as he quickly followed his two friends into the woods.


	4. What's This?

And so the three Stouthearted Eds marched through the dark and creepy woods known as the Hinterlands. Of course, Eddy led, with Double D in the middle and Ed at the rear. However, after marching for a while, the Eds began to notice that something wasn't right. There was no sign of Jack anywhere, yet they clearly saw him entering these woods. But now it seemed that they were the only living things in the woods at the moment.

Suddenly and very abruptly, Eddy stopped dead in his tracks at a certain tree. Since it was unexpected, Double D ran into Eddy, and Ed ran into Double D.

"Eddy, what . . . " Double D was about to say, but Eddy quickly covered his friend's mouth. Double D noticed something different about Eddy's expression. He looked like he had seen a ghost. Or maybe . . .

That's when Double D saw what had freaked Eddy out, and he too became alarmed. There, sitting right in front of the three boys, asleep with his back against the tree, was Jack Skellington. Zero was asleep at his side.

Unfortunately, Ed saw Jack, too. "PUMPKIN KING MUST SIGN COMIC BOOK!" he yelled loudly.

"_Ed!_" Eddy and Double D furiously whispered, jumping on their friend. But as both boys were putting their hands over Ed's mouth, they heard Jack stir. Eddy's face went pale and Double D couldn't stop trembling. But they both immediately relaxed when Jack just shifted his body to a more comfortable position. Miraculously, Ed's outburst had not woken him up.

"Shut _up_, stupid!" Eddy hissed at his friend. "Are you _trying _to blow our cover?"

"But Eddy . . . " Ed was able to make out, though it was still very muffled.

"Sssh!" said Double D and Ed.

"We gotta get out of here!" whispered Double D.

"Right," said Eddy. "Follow me."

The three Stouthearted Eds very carefully tiptoed past the sleeping skeleton. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they were all safely past him.

"I don't even want to think about what would have happened if he had woken up. . ." said Double D.

"Yeah," said Eddy. "How are you holding out, Ed?"

But once again, Ed was not there.

"Ed?" Eddy asked, the panic rising in his voice again. He looked over at Jack, but Ed was no where near there.

"Hey guys, come over here!" To Eddy and Double D's relief, Ed's voice came from the opposite direction of Jack.

"Now what are you doing, Monobrow?" Eddy asked as he and Double D walked over to their empty-headed friend, who was about ten feet away from Jack.

"Look," said Ed, pointing in front of them.

Eddy and Double D gasped. They were met with quite a sight. In front of them were more trees, and each of them had a door carved into them. There was an Easter egg door, a shamrock door, a heart door, a firecracker door, a turkey door, and a jack o' lantern door (identical to the one back in Peach Creek). But the last door was the most amazing sight of all. The last door looked exactly like a large Christmas tree. It even had ornaments and a star on top.

For some reason, the Stouthearted Eds were most intrigued by this particular door. It was probably because Christmas was their favorite holiday. However, the Eds liked Christmas for different reasons: Ed liked Christmas because of Santa, Double D liked Christmas mainly because of the great feelings it gave him, and of course, Eddy liked Christmas because the presents (well, the good presents anyway).

Eddy looked at his two comrades. Then he slowly walked up and turned the knob on the Christmas tree door. When they looked inside, the three Eds saw the exact same thing they had seen in the jack o' lantern door: a whole lot of dark.

"Where do you think it leads?" asked Eddy.

"I'm not sure," said Double D. "But I feel that we shouldn't take any chances, considering the consequences we may . . . "

"WOOHOO!"

Double D quickly turned around, just in time to see Ed jumping into the tree. Eddy was standing on the side, getting ready to jump in.

"YAHOO!" yelled Eddy as he too disappeared into the tree.

Double D was about to yell, but then he remembered that Jack was still asleep a few feet away. He bent over the side of the door. "Eddy!" he said in a loud whisper. "You get back up here and close this door!"

Just then, Double D heard a small whimpering sound behind him. He turned around. Jack was still asleep, so it couldn't have been him. Then he heard it again. Double D looked down, then his eyes widened. Floating right in front of his feet was Jack's ghost dog, Zero.

"Shoo!" Double D whispered, waving his hands at the dog. "Shoo . . . shoo!"

But of course, Zero paid no heed to Double D's words. Instead, he opened his mouth and clamped his teeth down on Double D's leg.

"Oh dear, NOT MY SOCK AGAIN!" Double D yelled. Then he immediately clamped his hands over his mouth. Then he took a few steps backward . . . and fell head over heels into the tree. Luckily, Zero had let go of his leg.

As Double D fell, the Christmas tree door slammed shut behind him. But the sensation of falling through darkness wasn't why Double D was so freaked out. He was freaked out because right before he fell, he saw Jack standing up. . .

But before Double D could think of anything else, he hit the ground, face-first again. But this time it was different. This time, he landed on something soft. And cold. When he got up, he looked down and saw that the soft, cold thing he had landed in was snow.

"_What on earth?_" he thought. Then he saw Eddy and Ed. Both boys were standing a few feet away, with their backs turned to Double D.

Double D quickly walked up to see what was wrong with his friends. When he got closer, he saw that both Eddy and Ed's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and their mouths were hanging wide open. But when Double D saw what his friends were looking at, he adopted the same expression his friends had.

The sight below the Stouthearted Eds was incredible. They were on top of a hill, and at the bottom, there was a little town. The town was brightly lit with Christmas lights, and there were red and white stripes everywhere.

All three Eds had a grin on their face. They looked at each other for a few seconds, then all three of them ran down the hill at top speed toward the town. When they got to the town, they separated and began running all over the place, just taking in all of the sights. Soon, the Eds got so excited that they began to sing. But what they didn't know was that they weren't the only newcomers to this town . . .

Jack: **_What's this? What's this?  
_**Edd: **_There's color everywhere  
_**Eddy:**_ What's this?  
_**Ed:**_ There's white things in the air  
_**

Jack:**_ What's this?  
I can't believe my eyes  
I must be dreaming  
Wake up, Jack, this isn't fair  
What's this? _**

Eddy:**_ What's this? What's this?  
There's something very wrong  
_**Ed:**_ What's this?  
_**Edd:**_ There's people singing songs_**

Jack:**_ What's this?  
The streets are lined with  
Little creatures laughing  
Everybody seems so happy  
Have I possibly gone daffy?  
What is this?  
What's this?_**

Ed:**_ There's children throwing snowballs  
_**Jack:**_ Instead of throwing heads  
_**Ed:**_ They're busy building toys  
_**Jack:**_ And absolutely no one's dead_**

Edd:**_ There's frost in every window  
Oh, I can't believe my eyes  
_**Jack:**_ And in my bones I feel the warmth  
That's coming from inside_**

Edd:**_ Oh, look! What's this?  
_**Eddy:**_ They're hanging mistletoe  
_**Ed:**_ They kiss?  
_**Jack:**_ Why, that looks so unique  
Inspired!  
_**Edd:**_ They're gathering around to hear a story  
Roasting chestnuts on a fire  
What's this?_**

Jack:**_ What's this?  
In here they've got a little tree  
How queer  
And who would ever think?  
And why?_**

Ed: **_They're covering it with tiny little things  
_**Eddy:**_ They've got electric lights on strings  
_**Edd:**_ And there's a smile on everyone  
_**Jack:**_ So, now, correct me if I'm wrong  
This looks like fun  
This looks like fun  
Oh, could it be I got my wish?  
What's this?_**

Jack:**_ Oh my, what now?  
The children are asleep  
But look, there's nothing underneath  
No ghouls, no witches here to scream or scare them  
Or ensnare them, only little cozy things  
Secure inside their dreamland  
What's this?_**

**_The monsters are all missing  
And the nightmares can't be found  
And in their place there seems to be  
Good feeling all around _**

**_Instead of screams, I swear  
I can hear music in the air  
The smell of cakes and pies  
Are absolutely everywhere_**

Edd:**_ The sights, the sounds  
_**Ed:**_ They're everywhere and all around  
_**Eddy:**_ I've never felt so good before  
_**Jack:**_ This empty place inside of me is filling up  
I simply cannot get enough_**

**_I want it, oh, I want it  
Oh, I want it for my own  
I've got to know, I've got to know  
What is this place that I have found?_**

Jack, Ed Edd n Eddy:**_ What is this?_**

---

Now, it was either pure bliss or pure ignorance, but for some reason, none of the Stouthearted Eds seemed to notice the eight-foot skeleton who was also running around this new place, even when one of them would run _right next _to him. It was the same story for Jack. He was so giddy that he didn't see the three boys that looked like Zombie Elvis, the Bubonic Plague, and a Viking running around. He just _had _to know what this place was called.

Meanwhile, Eddy and Double D caught up with each other again, and they were gasping for air.

"This place rocks!" Eddy exclaimed between deep breaths.

"I agree," said Double D. "I must know the name of this town we've found! Uh, Eddy?"

"What?" asked Eddy.

"Where's Ed?"

The two friends looked around. Ed was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" said Eddy. He got up and ran to the entrance of the town, Double D following him.

"Ed!" called Double D.

"Hey, Monobrow!" called Eddy.

But somehow, Ed had just vanished.

"Oh, this is not good," said Double D. "Who knows what kind of mischief Ed could cause here by himself? Hmm?"

"What?" asked Eddy. Then he looked up. At the entrance of the town, a big banner was hung overhead.

"'Christmas Town'?" Eddy read. "Hold up. You mean this town is all Christmas?"

"Well, that certainly explains a lot," said Double D. "But right now we have to concentrate on the situation at hand. Where's Ed?"

"Oh, how should I know?" asked Eddy. "For all we know, he's off looking for Santa, wanting to find out how to be an honorary elf!"

But as Eddy talked, Double D's eyes widened. "Um . . . Eddy?" he nervously asked his friend.

"Just a second," said Eddy. "Now I know that Ed's Christmas crazy, so we might have trouble finding him . . . "

"_Eddy_ . . . "

"Will you be patient? Anyway, we might have trouble finding him, but we have an advantage, because these eyes don't miss a thing!"

And with that, Eddy whirled around to take a good look at Christmas Town . . . but instead, his eyes met black and white stripes. Now Eddy stopped dead in his tracks. He knew where he had seen black and white stripes like that before.

"Greetings, fellow Halloween creatures!"

Eddy let out a gasp and jumped into the air, toppling over backwards into the snow. But he quickly sat up again.

"DON'T SNEAK UP ON PEOPLE LIKE THAT!" he yelled as he put his Elvis glasses back on, which had fallen off his head.

"Um . . . actually, I have to. It's my job," said the all-too familiar skeleton standing in front of Double D and Eddy. "Oh, forgive me! I haven't even introduced myself. I'm . . . "

"We know," interrupted Eddy, brushing the snow off his costume. "Jack Skellington. The Pumpkin King."

"Wow, I'm famous!" said Jack. He paused and watched as Eddy stood up.

"What?" asked Eddy.

"Aren't you going to tell me your names?" asked Jack.

"Oh, right," said Eddy. "I'm Eddy, and that's Double D." As Eddy introduced Double D, the shy boy in the sock hat gave a nervous little wave. "Say, you haven't seen a Viking with one eyebrow and no chin running around, have you?" Eddy added.

"Uh . . . no. I think I'd remember something like that," said Jack.

"Darn," grumbled Eddy. "That idiot's gonna be the death of us."

"Anyway, I was wondering if you two could help me," said Jack. "What is the significance of all these strange rituals in this town? I've never seen such wonders!"

Eddy stared at Jack for a few minutes. "What's the matter, buddy?" he asked. "Haven't you ever heard of Christmas?"

"Christmas?" repeated Jack. "What is this thing, 'Christmas'?"

Eddy said nothing. Instead, he slowly held his arms out in front of him and formed the shape of a cross with his index fingers, then pointed it at Jack.

"Oh, that's _real _mature, Eddy," said Double D, speaking for the first time. Then he turned his direction to Jack. "Dear Jack, surely you've heard of the holiday Christmas?"

"Holiday?" asked Jack. "You mean there are other holidays besides Halloween?"

Now even Double D was a little shocked. Jack didn't know about any of the other holidays? But as he thought about it, it began to make sense. Jack's main focus was _Halloween_. Of course he wasn't going to know about any other holidays.

"Well, Jack . . . gosh, how can I explain this?" said Double D. "Well . . . Christmas is a time of year where we give thanks to others and give presents as an act of kindness to others."

"Ah, I say it's a big waste of time," said Eddy. "Christmas stinks."

Now it was Jack's turn to be shocked. "How can you _say_ that?" he asked Eddy. "This is exactly what I've been missing! I must find a way to bring Christmas to Halloween."

"Christmas to Halloween?" asked Double D. "That sounds like something Ed would say. Which reminds me . . . he's still missing."

"Oh, right," said Eddy. "Well, we can't seem to find him here. Maybe he already went back to Spook-E-Ville."

"Spook-E-Ville?" asked Jack. "There's no such place."

"Oh yeah?" asked Eddy. "Then what do you call this?" He reached into Double D's pocket and took out the map, then showed it to the Pumpkin King.

Jack took the map and got a good look at it. "There's no such place as Spook-E-Ville," he repeated, handing the map back to Eddy. "This is a map of Halloween Town."

"Halloween Town?" asked Eddy.

"Is that where you live, Jack?" asked Double D.

"It sure is," said Jack. "But where did you two get a map of Halloween Town?"

"Ah, it's no big deal," said Eddy. "It's just my brother's old map. Anyway, you two do whatever you want. I'm going back to Spook-E-Ville."

"Halloween Town," corrected Double D.

"Whatever," said Eddy.

"Wait, Eddy!" said Jack. "You two seem to be quite the experts on Christmas."

"Well, I don't like to brag," said Eddy. "But . . . "

"Hmm . . . " said Jack. He looked at the two boys. "Eddy . . . Double D. . .how would you two like to help me with a little . . . _project _I'm planning?"


	5. Town Meeting Song

"You know, we just left, but I already miss Christmas Town," Jack was saying to Eddy and Double D.

"Why?" asked Eddy. "You're bringing most of it back with you."

Jack had Eddy and Double D help him go around Christmas Town, filling a huge sack with things to take back to Halloween Town. However, when they were done collecting things, they realized that the sack was too heavy for them to carry. So Jack had resorted to tying the sack to the back of a nearby snowmobile.

Now they were riding back home, with Jack driving (even though the snowmobile was too small for him, so his knees were up by his head), Eddy and Double D riding on the top of the sack, and Zero floating close by.

"I still can't believe we couldn't find Ed," said Eddy.

"I told you to look for him while we were collecting things," said Double D.

"No, you didn't!" said Eddy. "First, I said, 'There is no way we're helping Jack go around and collect things to bring back to Halloween Town,' then he came up right behind us and shrieked, then you started crying, and then I said, 'Okay, fine! But then we need to look for Ed.' And now we're here, still without an Ed!"

"I wasn't crying!" protested Double D.

"Well, you were gonna," grumbled Eddy.

"Um, I hate to interrupt this _very _interesting conversation, but we're almost to Halloween Town," said Jack.

"Oh. Right," said Double D.

"Fine," said Eddy.

---

Apparently, the townspeople weren't used to Jack disappearing for a long period of time, because as soon as they drove in, a crowd gathered, asking if Jack was all right and where he had been.

"Where were you?" asked the Mayor. Then he saw Eddy and Double D atop the huge sack. "And who are those two?" he added, pointing to them.

"Call a town meeting and I'll tell everyone about it," said Jack.

"When?" asked the Mayor.

"Immediately!" said Jack.

---

Later that night, all of the townspeople were gathering at the town hall. Eddy and Double D were already there. There was a stage at the front of the town hall, and the curtains were closed. The two boys were backstage with a small Christmas tree they had taken from Christmas Town. Jack had instructed them to sit on stools and hold their props until he needed them.

"This is stupid," said Eddy, holding a big red stocking. "We should be looking for Ed."

"Oh come now, Eddy," said Double D, who was holding a present. "Jack said this wouldn't take long. We'll have plenty of time to look for Ed after the meeting is over."

"Yeah, well I don't like this one bit," said Eddy. "Jack's got something much bigger in mind. I can tell . . . "

"Oh Eddy," said Double D. "What could possibly go wrong?"

At that moment, Jack stepped out from behind the curtain to address the crowd.

"Listen everyone," Eddy and Double D heard him say. "I want to tell you about Christmas Town." Then the tone of Jack's voice changed. Eddy could definitely tell what was coming . . .

Jack: **_There were objects so peculiar  
They were not to be believed  
All around, things to tantalize my brain _**

It's a world unlike anything I've ever seen  
And as hard as I try  
I can't seem to describe  
Like a most improbable dream

But you must believe when I tell you this  
It's as real as my skull and it does exist  
Here, let me show you

Then, without warning, Jack pulled the curtain back, exposing Eddy, Double D, and the Christmas tree to the awestruck crowd. Eddy and Double D had to shield their eyes from the sudden bright light.

"Corneas . . . " Double D whispered. He was so busy keeping his hands in front of his eyes that he almost didn't notice Jack taking the present from his lap.****

Jack:**_ This is a thing called a present  
The whole thing starts with a box_**

Devil:**_ A box?  
Is it steel?_**

Werewolf: **_Are there locks?_**

Harlequin Demon: **_Is it filled with a pox?_**

Devil, Werewolf, Harlequin Demon:**_ A pox  
How delightful, a pox_**

Eddy held in snickers. Deep in the back of his mind, he figured something like this might happen.

Jack: **_If you please  
Just a box with bright-colored paper  
And the whole thing's topped with a bow_**

Witches:**_ A bow?  
But why?  
How ugly  
What's in it?  
What's in it?_**

Edd: **_That's the point of the thing, not to know_**

Clown: **_It's a bat  
Will it bend?_**

Creature Under the Stairs:**_ It's a rat  
Will it break?_**

Undersea Gal: **_Perhaps it's the head that I found in the lake_**

Jack: **_Listen now, you don't understand  
That's not the point of Christmas-land_**

---

"_I'll say it isn't,_" thought Eddy. Now he was forcing a very loud laughter from escaping his throat. He knew he still had to find Ed, and now wasn't the time to be making fun of Jack, but the look on Jack's face was just _priceless_! He looked so funny when he was confused! But Eddy immediately forced a straight face when Jack gestured to him. He quickly handed his stocking to the Pumpkin King, then went back to suppressing his laughter.

---

Jack:**_ Now, pay attention  
We pick up an oversized sock  
And hang it like this on the wall_**

Mr. Hyde: **_Oh, yes! Does it still have a foot?  
_**  
Medium Mr. Hyde: **_Let me see, let me look_**

Small Mr. Hyde: **_Is it rotted and covered with gook?_**

Jack: **_Um, let Eddy explain_**

Eddy froze. He had been caught off-guard. Had he heard Jack right? He felt the red go right to his cheeks as his mind raced.

Eddy: **_Uh . . . there's no foot inside, but there's candy  
Or sometimes it's filled with small toys_**

Mummy, Winged Demon: **_Small toys_**

Winged Demon: **_Do they bite?_**

Mummy: **_Do they snap?_**

Winged Demon: **_Or explode in a sack?_**

Corpse Kid: **_Or perhaps they just spring out  
And scare girls and boys_**

Mayor: **_What a splendid idea  
This Christmas sounds fun  
I fully endorse it  
Let's try it at once_**

Jack looked at the crowd, then glanced at Double D and Eddy. Double D gave a polite smile, while Eddy just shrugged. Jack turned his attention back to the crowd.

Jack: **_Everyone, please now, not so fast  
There's something here that you don't quite grasp  
Well, I may as well give them what they want_**

**_And the best, I must confess, I have saved for the last  
For the ruler of this Christmas-land  
Is a fearsome king with a deep mighty voice  
Least that's what I've come to understand _**

And I've also heard it told  
That he's something to behold  
Like a lobster, huge and red  
When he sets out to slay with his rain gear on  
Carting bulging sacks with his big great arms  
That is, so I've heard it said

As Eddy listened to Jack's description of the ruler of Christmas Town, the red went to his cheeks again, but for a different reason this time. Jack was so engrossed with the crowd that he didn't even notice Eddy getting up from his seat and walking over to his Christmas tree . . . ****

Jack:**_ And on a dark cold night  
Under full moonlight  
He flies into a fog  
Like a vulture in the sky  
And they call him . . . Sandy Claws_**

This really got the crowd going. They began to talk amongst themselves, saying how fun Christmas sounded and how much they wanted to try it. But even so, there was still one person in the room who was unhappy . . . ****

Jack:**_ Well, at least they're excited  
But they don't understand  
That special kind of feeling in Christmas-land  
Oh, well . . . _**

That was when Jack turned to talk to Eddy and Double D, only to find that they were no longer in their seats. He quickly looked around the room, but his helpers were nowhere to be found. Upon closer inspection, Jack also discovered that all of the little glass Christmas balls were missing from his Christmas tree . . .


	6. Jack's Obsession

POP!

"Eddy, please stop!"

POP!

"Eddy!"

POP!

"Jack's going to be mad!"

Eddy paid no attention to his friend. He simply picked up another Christmas ball he had taken from Jack's tree and threw it down the alley the two friends were in. When it hit the wall at the far end of the alley, it broke with a loud POP!

"Eddy, this is so wrong!" said Double D. "Someone's sure to discover your act of vandalism."

"Ah, the way the people act in this town, they'll probably thank me," said Eddy, picking up another ball. "I'M GONNA KILL THAT CREEP!" he yelled as he threw the ball.

"Ed or Jack?" asked Double D. "Because since Jack's a skeleton, technically he's already dead . . . "

"I'll kill whoever gets in my way first!" Eddy interrupted. "I knew this was a bad idea! I _knew _Jack really didn't know about Christmas!"

"Eddy, please calm down," said Double D. "Don't you think you're overreacting?"

"'_Sandy Claws'_?" said Eddy, repeating what Jack had said. "'When he sets out to _slay _with his _rain gear _on'?"

"I do admit, Jack has a way with trying one's patience . . . " said Double D. "But you have to understand, Eddy. Jack's never heard of any other holiday besides Halloween. Of _course _he's going to be confused!"

"Well, I don't buy it!" said Eddy. "This is going to turn into something really bad. I can feel it."

"So what do you intend to do, Eddy?" asked Double D.

Eddy thought for a moment. "Think we'd be able to find Jack's house?" he asked.

---

A few minutes later, Double D and Eddy were hiding in the bushes outside Jack's house.

"You _can't _be serious," whispered Double D.

"I'm dead serious," said Eddy, holding a piece of wood he had found.

"First vandalism, and now _this_?" asked Double D. "Eddy, do you have any idea what the consequences of your actions will be? And whatever happened to looking for Ed?"

"Ed will have to wait," said Eddy.

Just then, the door to Jack's house opened, and Jack stepped out. As his door was closing, Eddy quietly ran up and jammed the wood into the door so it wouldn't shut. Luckily, Jack was already outside his gate, so he didn't notice.

"Eddy, please reconsider," said Double D. "You're trespassing on private property."

"No I'm not!" said Eddy, opening the door and entering Jack's house. "I just wanna see what he's up to."

"Eddy, I think the last thing Jack needs right now is you _spying _on him," said Double D.

"Look, I've made up my mind," said Eddy. "As soon as I figure out what he's doing, I get out as soon as the coast is clear. And you have to stay out here and wait for me. _Then_ we'll look for Ed."

"But who knows how long that will take?" said Double D.

"Nobody," Eddy simply answered. Then he shut the door behind him.

Double D groaned. "_What a stubborn old mule,_" he thought as he went back to hide in the bushes.

---

Eddy was walking up some stairs that led to the top floor of Jack's house. When he got to the top floor, he was met with quite a sight.

Jack's interior decorating was probably typical to Halloween Town, but not to Eddy. The guy had a _guillotine _in his room! And an electric chair! But that wasn't the weird part. Jack had decked out the entire room with Christmas decorations. There was even a very skimpy Christmas tree in the corner, with Zero asleep next to it.

Eddy walked over to the Christmas tree. Hung next to it was a set of very baggy pajamas, complete with a little sleep cap. "_And I thought Ed's room was scary . . . _" Eddy thought, looking around the room again.

"Zero, I'm home."

Eddy panicked when he heard Jack's voice. He had to hide! But where? The Christmas tree was too bare to hide behind. He looked at the window. Behind the curtains! Luckily, Jack had very long curtains. As Eddy went to hide behind them, Zero woke up. He looked at Eddy and barked.

"Shut up!" Eddy whispered before disappearing behind the curtains.

It was a good thing he did, because just as he did, Jack appeared. "I got some equipment from the doctor," he said to Zero. "Now I can experiment on the things from Christmas Town."

"_Experiment?_" thought Eddy. Luckily, Jack was too busy to notice the huge bulge that was now in his curtains.

Jack's curtains were translucent enough that Eddy could see through them. He watched as Jack began to take things with a more scientific approach. He looked at holly under a microscope. He tried making paper snowflakes, but they looked more like spider webs. He dissected a teddy bear. He made a solution and added a crushed ornament to it (it was then that Eddy was once again thankful that he wasn't hiding behind the tree).

"Interesting reaction," said Jack. "But what does it mean?"

---

Meanwhile, outside of Jack's house, Double D was still waiting for Eddy. And he was beginning to get impatient. "_What's taking him so long?_" he thought. He was just about to walk up and leave, when something happened.

It was Sally! She was walking up to Jack's house with a basket. Double D quietly watched as Sally attached the basket to a piece of rope, then slowly lifted it to Jack's window on the top floor.

---

Eddy was watching Jack write some formula out on his chalkboard, when something tapped on the window. Whatever it was, it caught Jack's attention.

Wait a minute . . . Eddy was right next to the window! And Jack was going over to it! He was going to get caught!

But miraculously, Eddy wasn't caught. He watched as Jack opened the window. There was a basket hanging outside. Jack took the basket and waved down to somebody . . . who was it? Eddy couldn't tell who it was, and he didn't dare move from his spot. Then he noticed that the sun was beginning to come up. Jack had been up all night!

"_Geez, hasn't this guy ever heard of sleep?_" Eddy thought.

---

Down below, Double D watched as Sally ran away from Jack's house after giving him the basket. He then saw her run out the gate and hide behind the stone wall. Double D cautiously walked over to the wall, climbed up it, and sat at the top. Sally was below him, sitting on the ground.

"I knew it," Double D heard himself say. "You really like him, don't you?"

This caught Sally's attention. She looked around, trying to find out where that voice had come from. She finally looked up and saw Double D.

At that point, Double D had become aware of what he had just said. His face went bright red. "Oh, uh, forgive me for prying like that . . . " he stammered out. "My name is Edd . . . with two D's. Call me Double D."

Sally smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Double D." Her voice was soft and timid. She seemed almost as shy as Double D. "My name is Sally."

"I . . .I couldn't help but notice that you seem to be fond of Jack," said Double D. "I'm sorry if I . . . "

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," said Sally. "I guess you could say that . . . " she added quietly.

"May I ask you why you let that man in the wheelchair . . . you know . . . push you around?" asked Double D.

"You mean Dr. Finkelstein?" asked Sally. "I don't really have much choice. You see, he's my creator."

"_Creator?_" asked Double D. "Well, I can see that, but still, does he have to be that extreme?"

"Yes, he's a little strict at times, but he _is _the one who gave me life," said Sally.

"_And isn't that a reason to stick around . . . _" thought Double D. "But I'm guessing that you'd rather much spend time with Jack?"

"I guess I would like that," said Sally. "I'd like to wish him good luck." She paused to pick one of the flowers that were growing by the wall. Double D recognized it as a forget-me-not. "That basket was all I could do . . . " Sally continued, "but I'll be hoping for his success."

Suddenly, right before their eyes, the forget-me-not slowly turned into a little Christmas tree, complete with ornaments. Sally and Double D's eyes widened at the beauty of it . . . but a few seconds later, their eyes widened for a different reason. The little Christmas tree instantaneously burst into flames.

Double D's jaw dropped. "What was that?" he asked quietly.

"Oh dear," said Sally. "I was afraid of this. Sometimes, I have these . . . visions. What . . . what could this mean?"

Double D just stared at the burnt stick in Sally's hand. "I don't know," he finally answered. For once in his life, he didn't have an answer.

The two glanced worriedly at Jack's house just as the sun was coming up. And apparently, they weren't the only ones worried about their skeleton friend . . .

Vampires: **_Something's up with Jack  
Something's up with Jack  
Don't know if we're ever going to get him back_**

Werewolf: **_He's all alone up there  
Locked away inside_**

Corpse Mother: **_Never says a word_**

Corpse Kid: **_Hope he hasn't died_**

Vampires, Werewolf: **_Something's up with Jack  
Something's up with Jack_**

Seeing everyone so worried, Double D decided that he might as well try and change the subject.

"I wonder if Jack's found Eddy yet," he thought aloud.

"Eddy?" asked Sally. "Your friend?"

"I'm afraid so," said Double D. "He had the bright idea of sneaking into Jack's house while he was out. He said he wants to "find out what exactly Jack was planning," but I know better. He just wants to spy on the poor guy." Double D's gaze went back to the top floor. "I do hope Jack isn't too upset when he finds Eddy up there."

---

Eddy stood stiff as a board behind Jack's curtains. It seemed that the Pumpkin King was getting more anxious. Eddy watched as Jack paced around the room.

Jack: **_Christmas time is buzzing in my skull  
Will it let me be? I cannot tell  
There's so many things I cannot grasp  
When I think I've got it, and then at last  
Through my bony fingers it does slip  
Like a snowflake in a fiery grip _**

Something here I'm not quite gettingThough I try, I keep forgetting  
Like a memory long since past  
Here in an instant, gone in a flash  
What does it mean?  
What does it mean?

In these little bric-a-brac  
A secret's waiting to be cracked  
These dolls and toys confuse me so  
Confound it all, I love it though

Simple objects, nothing more  
But something's hidden through a door  
Though I do not have the key  
Something's there I cannot see  
What does it mean?  
What does it mean?  
What does it mean?  
Hmm . . .

"_It means you're trying too hard, Bonehead,_" Eddy thought. "_Give it a break, will ya?_" But as Eddy kept his eye on Jack, he couldn't help but mentally laugh at what he had just said. He had just made a pun.

Jack:**_ I've read these Christmas books so many times  
I know the stories and I know the rhymes  
I know the Christmas carols all by heart  
My skull's so full, it's tearing me apart  
As often as I've read them, something's wrong  
So hard to put my bony finger on _**

**_Or perhaps it's really not as deep  
As I've been led to think  
Am I trying much too hard?  
Of course! I've been too close to see  
The answer's right in front of me  
Right in front of me_**

Eddy began to panic again. The answer was right in front of Jack? What answer? What was it? What was Jack planning? "_Get on with it!_" Eddy yelled in his head.****

Jack:**_ It's simple really, very clear  
Like music drifting in the air  
Invisible, but everywhere  
Just because I cannot see it  
Doesn't mean I can't believe it _**

**_You know, I think this Christmas thing  
It's not as tricky as it seems  
And why should they have all the fun?  
It should belong to anyone_**

**_Not anyone, in fact, but me  
Why, I could make a Christmas tree  
And there's no reason I can find  
I couldn't handle Christmas time_**

**_I bet I could improve it too  
And that's exactly what I'll do  
Hee, hee, hee_**

Then Jack went over to the window and thrust it open for everyone down below to see. Eddy saw his chance. He had to get out of there! But what he didn't notice was that part of the curtain had wrapped around his leg . . .

Jack:**_ Eureka! This year, Christmas will be ours!_**

---

The crowd below gasped. What did Jack mean? What was the Pumpkin King planning? What did that vision mean? Sally and Double D glanced worriedly at each other.

---

CLUNK!

Jack heard something crash to the ground, followed by a soft groan as he shut his windows. He looked down. There, lying face first on the ground, with part of the curtains wrapped around his leg, was none other than . . .

"Eddy?" asked Jack.

Eddy's eyes bugged. In his attempt to bolt, he had gotten tangled up in the curtains and tripped, sending him crashing to the floor. Eddy glanced up at Jack. He didn't look happy. Now what?

"Uh . . . hi, Jackie-boy," Eddy sputtered, trying to sound casual. "What's shaking?"

"May I ask what you're doing in my house?" asked Jack.

"Uh . . . leaving," said Eddy. He tried to get up, but he ended up tripping on the curtains again. Eddy once again felt his face hit Jack's concrete floor.

Then a different sound met Eddy's ears. It was laughter! It took Eddy a second to realize that Jack was the one laughing.

"Oh, I'm just giving you a hard time," said Jack, reaching down and helping Eddy untangle his feet. "Actually, I'm glad you finally came out of your hiding place, Eddy. I want to talk to you about . . . "

"Woah, hold up," said Eddy as he got up. "You . . . you _knew _I was there?"

"Eddy, I'm a master at hiding," said Jack. "You've got _nothing _on me." Then he tried to stifle the laughter coming back to him.

Eddy's cheeks went red again. Jack had _tricked _him. Jack had actually tricked the trickster! He felt like throwing something again. Disgusted, Eddy began to make his way to the stairs.

"Wait, Eddy!" said Jack, the seriousness back in his voice. "Don't go! I need to talk to you about Christmas!"

This made Eddy stop and turn back to Jack.

"You _are_ the expert . . . right?" asked Jack.

"Please!" said Eddy. "You really think I'd help you after tricking me like that? Well, count me out! I want no part of this crazy plan of yours!"

"Okay, maybe that was a little harsh," said Jack. "But Eddy, I'm sure I could do it. I really am! I could go all around the world and wear a red suit and make presents . . . "

Eddy stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the word "presents." Sure, he knew that Christmas is about caring, not presents, but still, this was a perfect opportunity! He just couldn't pass it.

Eddy slowly turned around. "Hold up," said Eddy. "You're saying that if you were to have Halloween run Christmas . . . you'd make the presents?"

"Well, with the help of the town of course," said Jack. "But yes, I'd make all the presents for all of the children!"

"I see . . . " said Eddy. He turned around for a second to hide his devilish grin from the Pumpkin King.

"So, what do you say, Eddy?" asked Jack, holding out a bony hand. "Will you help me?"

Eddy regained his composure and turned around. "Okay Jack," he said, grasping Jack's hand. "I'll help you."

Then, to Eddy's surprise, Jack pulled him into a hug!

"Oh, thank you Eddy!" said Jack, overjoyed. "How can I ever repay you?"

Eddy squirmed out of Jack's grasp. "For starters, don't ever hug me again," he said, shuddering. "So . . . " he said slyly. "What exactly did you have in mind?"


	7. Kidnap the Sandy Claws

Later that day, Double D was watching as everyone formed a line outside the town hall. Jack had finally come out of his house, and he said that his plan involved everyone in Halloween Town. But Double D wasn't interested in that. He was interested in the fact that Eddy had been seen with Jack.

Double D was finally able to enter the town hall, and sure enough, Eddy was with Jack. Jack was talking to the vampires, so he didn't notice Double D running over to Eddy.

"Eddy, can I talk to you for a moment?" he quickly asked, pulling his friend aside.

"What's up, Double D?" asked Eddy.

"_Another_ change in plans, Eddy?" asked Double D.

"What are you talking about?" asked Eddy.

"A few hours ago, you couldn't even say Jack's name without spitting in the dirt," said Double D. "Now you're helping him with this absurd plan of his?"

"Jealous?" asked Eddy.

"No, I'm not jealous!" said Double D. "I want to know your real motive, Eddy. There's no way you'd go along with something like this so willingly!"

Eddy sighed. Then he pulled his friend close. "Okay, here's the real deal," he murmured so Jack couldn't hear him. "I know this plan is about as straight as a rainbow. I'm just gonna go along with it for now. And as soon as I'm alone with the presents Jack makes . . . "

"Eddy, you're in this for your _presents?_" asked Double D. "Do you learn nothing?"

"Of course I learned my lesson!" said Eddy. "And I also learned that an opportunity like this is too good to pass up!"

"So, you're not really interested in Jack's plan at all?" asked Double D. "He's going to be disappointed when he finds out."

"He's not gonna find out!" said Eddy. "At least, he won't find out as long as we keep our big mouths shut."

"I do hope you know what you're doing, Eddy," said Double D.

"It's a cinch!" said Eddy. "All I have to do is snag my present while Jack's not looking."

The two boys looked over at Jack.

"How horrible our Christmas will be," said the Mayor.

"No! How _jolly_!" corrected Jack.

"Oh," said the Mayor. "How jolly our Christmas will be."

"Something tells me that's not going to be a problem," said Double D.

Just then, the boys turned around again when they heard the Mayor groaning. And for good reason. Someone was pelting the poor Mayor with broken toys!

"What are you doing here?" asked the Mayor, looking down.

"Jack sent for us," a first little boy dressed like a devil said.

"Specifically," said a little girl dressed like a witch.

"By name," said a second little boy dressed like a skeleton.

"Lock!"

"Shock!"

"Barrel!"

"Lothar!"

The fourth voice caught Eddy and Double D's attention.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel looked at the other boy with them. But he was different. He was a lot taller than the other three. And he was dressed in Viking garb, complete with a bushy orange beard, holding a spatula.

"Jack, Jack!" said the Mayor. "It's Oogie's boys!" Then he looked at the fourth boy. "And . . . some other boy I've never seen before!"

"You're still following us?" asked Lock.

"Get lost, weirdo!" said Shock.

"Can't do that," said the Viking. "For I am Lothar, the mighty Viking! And a mission I am on to find my Stouthearted friends. Lothar will not rest until he finds his friends, even if it takes him the rest of his life!"

"ED?" said Double D and Eddy, running over to their friend.

Ed spotted Double D and Eddy. "Wow, that was fast. Am I good or what?"

"There you are, Ed!" said Double D. "Thank goodness!"

"Where the heck have you been, Lumpy?" asked Eddy. "You trying to give us heart attacks?"

"I was off looking for Santa, so I could become an honorary elf!" said Ed. "But I couldn't find him, so I decided to come back to Spook-E-Ville."

"Halloween Town," Eddy and Double D corrected their friend.

"What?" asked Ed.

"Ah, Halloween's finest trick-or-treaters."

The Stouthearted Eds turned their attention to Jack, who was walking over.

"The job I have for you three is top secret," Jack said to Lock, Shock, and Barrel. "It requires craft, cunning, mischief."

"Geez Jack," said Eddy. "If that's what you wanted you should've just asked us. Craft, cunning, and mischief are the main components of the Stouthearted Eds' stouthearted scams."

"If that's the case, why have all of our scams failed, Eddy?" asked Double D.

Eddy glared at Double D. "When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it, Sockhead!" he said.

"Anyway . . . " said Jack. "Absolutely no one is to know about this. Not a soul! Now . . . "

Then Jack began to whisper to the three little kids. But of course, the Mayor and Ed's curiosity got the better of them. The Mayor listened in on his megaphone, while Ed resorted to holding his spatula to his ear. As Ed listened to the plan, his eyes widened.

"Got it," the three kids said together. They turned to leave.

"And one more thing . . . " added Jack, grabbing Lock's tail. "Make sure you leave that no-account Oogie Boogie out of this!"

"Whatever you say, Jack," said Barrel.

"Of course Jack," said Shock.

"Wouldn't dream of it Jack," said Lock.

But Ed seemed to know better. He had a conniving younger sister, so he knew sneakiness when he saw it. And he was right. All three kids had their fingers crossed behind their backs.

Ed watched as the three kids left the town hall, then he made a bold decision. He fixed his Viking hat, put on his best battle face, and readied his spatula. Then he headed for the front door.

"Ed, where are you going?" asked Double D.

"Do not attempt to follow!" said Ed. "For this is a burden I must carry alone! I, the mighty Lothar, have a new mission!" Then he ran out the town hall door, after Lock, Shock, and Barrel. "Tally ho!"

Eddy, Double D, Jack, and the Mayor just stared for a few seconds. Then Jack broke the silence.

"Does he _ever _shut up?" he asked.

"Not really," Eddy answered.

---

Ed followed the three little kids deep into a new part of the Hinterlands. Before he knew it, he was at a giant tree house. He watched at a safe distance as Lock, Shock, and Barrel entered a small cage and went up into the tree house. Ed then ran up to the tree house, under where the cage had been. He couldn't climb up it, but he _could _hear every single word the three kids were saying.

Lock, Shock, Barrel: **_Kidnap Mr. Sandy Claws?_**

Lock: **_I wanna do it_**

Barrel: **_Let's draw straws_**

Shock: **_Jack said we should work together_**

Barrel: **_Three of a kind_**

Lock: **_Birds of a feather_**

Lock, Shock, Barrel:**_ Now and forever  
Weeee  
La, la, la, la, la _**

Kidnap the Sandy Claws  
Lock him up real tight!  
Throw away the key and thenTurn off all the lights!

Shock: **_First, we're going to set some bait  
Inside a nasty trap and wait!  
When he comes a-sniffing we will  
Snap the trap and close the gate!_**

Lock: **_Wait, I've got a better plan  
To catch this big red lobster man!  
Let's pop him in a boiling pot  
And when he's done we'll butter him up!_**

Lock, Shock, Barrel:**_ Kidnap the Sandy Claws  
Throw him in a box!  
Bury him for ninety years  
Then see if he talks!_**

Shock: **_Then Mr. Oogie Boogie Man_**

Lock, Shock, Barrel:**_ Can take the whole thing over then!  
He'll be so pleased, I do declare!  
That he will cook him rare!  
Wheee!_**

Lock:**_ I say that we take a cannon  
Aim it at his door and then  
Knock three times, and when he answers  
Sandy Claws will be no more!_**

Shock: **_You're so stupid! Think now  
If we blow him up to smithereens  
We may lose some pieces and then_**

Lock, Shock: **_Jack will beat us black and green!_**

Lock, Shock, Barrel:**_ Kidnap the Sandy Claws  
Tie him in a bag!  
Throw him in the ocean then  
See if he is sad!_**

Ed was not liking what he was hearing one . . . little . . . bit. These kids were _worse _than his little sister! Would they really do all that awful stuff to Santa? _Santa_? That stuff was meant for Cyclops, and werewolves, and the other monsters in his movies! Not Santa! And who was this "Oogie Boogie" guy?

Ed: **_This Oogie Boogie guy  
Sounds like the meanest guy around!  
If I were on his Boogie list  
I'd get out of town!_**

Then Ed stood there for a minute before another realization hit him. "SANTA!" he shouted. He had to stop these three brats! Then, without thinking, he found himself running to the Holiday Doors. But as he ran, for some reason, he could still hear that awful song ringing throughout the woods.

Barrel:**_ He'll be so pleased by our success  
That he'll reward us too, I bet!_**

Lock, Shock, Barrel: **_Perhaps he'll make his special brew  
Of snake and spider stew! _**

We're his little henchmen and  
We take our job with pride!  
We do our best to please him  
And stay on his good side!

Shock:**_ I wish my cohorts weren't so dumb!_**

Barrel:**_ I'm not the dumb one!_**

Lock: **_You're no fun!_**

Shock: **_Shut up!_**

Lock: **_Make me!_**

Shock:**_ I've got something, listen now  
This one is real good, you'll see!  
We'll send a present to his door  
Upon there'll be a note to read! _**

Now, in the box we'll wait and hide  
Until his curiosity

Lock, Shock, Barrel: **_Entices him to look inside  
And then we'll have him!  
One, two, three! _**

Kidnap the Sandy Claws  
**_Beat him with a stick!  
Lock him up for ninety years  
See what makes him tick!_**

**_Kidnap the Sandy Claws  
Chop him into bits!  
Mister Oogie Boogie is  
Sure to get his kicks!_**

**_Kidnap the Sandy Claws  
See what we will see!  
Lock him in a cage and then  
Throw away the key!_**

---

By this time, Ed had made it to the Holiday Doors. He knew Jack's plan, and he didn't like it at all! And those three brats were going to be here any minute! What was he going to do to protect Santa?

Suddenly, the very dim lightbulb went off in Ed's head (okay, it was more like a candle), and he actually had an idea. He ripped a piece of the ground up and held it over his head.

"Boing!" he said to himself. "It's a lightbulb! Boing!" This idea was sure to work! It _had _to! Ed wasn't going to let those three brats do all those nasty things to Santa!

And it was a good thing too, because when Ed turned around, he saw Lock, Shock, and Barrel heading toward him, riding in a bathtub with legs.

A big, goofy grin spread across Ed's face. Perfect timing! It was time to try his plan . . .


	8. Making Christmas

"It goes something like this," Jack was explaining to the musical trio. He then shook a string of jingle bells in his hand. "How about it? Think you can manage?"

The trio tried playing the tune on their instruments. Double D and Eddy, who were watching, winced at how terribly _flat _it was.

"Fantastic!" said Jack. "Why don't you all practice on that and we'll be all set."

"Next!" called the Mayor.

When Double D saw who was next, his face lit up. "Hi, Sally!" he said cheerfully. But it didn't work. Sally still had a very worried look on her face.

"Sally?" asked Eddy.

"Sally, I need your help more than anyone's," said Jack.

"You certainly do, Jack," said Sally. "I had the most horrible vision."

"That's splendid!" said Jack, triggering a confused look from Eddy.

"No!" said Sally. "It was about your Christmas! There was smoke and fire . . . "

"That's correct, Jack," said Double D. "I saw it, too."

"What, you're one of those psycho things now, Double D?" asked Eddy.

"The term is _psychic_, Eddy," corrected Double D.

"That's not _my _Christmas," said Jack. "My Christmas is filled with laughter and joy . . . and this." He paused to show Sally a picture he had drawn. "My Sandy Claws outfit. I want you to make it."

"Listen to me," Sally tried to reason with her friend. "It's going to be a disaster."

"How could it be?" asked Jack. "Just follow the pattern. This part's red, the trim is white."

Eddy rolled his eyes and Double D let out an exasperated sigh. Jack was starting to sound more like Eddy every minute.

"It's a mistake, Jack," said Sally.

"Now, don't be modest," said Jack. "Who else is clever enough to make my Sandy Claws outfit?"

"Next!" called the Mayor.

"I have every confidence in you," said Jack, gently easing Sally forward.

Eddy and Double D began to walk with Sally.

"But it seems wrong to me," said Sally, looking at the picture. "Very wrong."

Eddy looked at Sally, then at Jack, then back at Sally. "I think he likes you," he said to the rag doll.

Sally's face went so red, it matched her hair.

"Eddy!" Double D scolded.

"What?" asked Eddy. "I'm just trying to lighten up the mood!" Then he looked back at the Pumpkin King, who was busy showing a nutcracker to the Behemoth. "But now that you guys mention it . . . yeah, this plan isn't going to work."

"Eddy?" asked Double D.

"Hey, I may be ignorant at times, but I'm not stupid!" said Eddy. "There's no way Jack's going to make this work!"

"But I take it that you haven't tried to talk to him?" asked Double D.

"You do seem to be the only one he's listening to, Eddy . . . " said Sally.

"Guess again," said Eddy. "Yes, I've tried to talk to him. I've tried to talk to him, like, _five times _now! But he's too caught up in his own little world! He's completely oblivious to reason!" Eddy looked at Jack again. "I can't decide if that guy is blissfully ignorant, or just plain ignorant."

Just then, the doors to the town hall burst open. And Lock, Shock, and Barrel entered with their walking bathtub. In the bathtub was a wriggling sack.

"Jack, Jack!" said the three kids. "We caught him! We caught him!"

"AH-CHOO!"

Ed came in after the three kids and the bathtub. But there was something different about him. His nose was running, and his eyes were all red and watery.

Eddy and Double D ran over by Jack to have a look themselves.

"Perfect!" said Jack. "Open it up. Quickly!"

And so, Lock, Shock, and Barrel opened up the sack. But what popped out wasn't exactly what Jack had expected . . .

When Eddy saw what had come out of the sack, he burst into laughter. "Wow," he said as he paused to catch his breath. "I didn't know "Sandy Claws" was so big and pink!"

Jack stared at the big pink rabbit that was standing in front of him. It was wearing a sash that said "Happy Easter!".

"That's not Sandy Claws!" he said to Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

"It's not?" asked Shock.

"Who is it?" asked Lock.

By this time, the Easter Rabbit had hopped over to Behemoth, and was cautiously sniffing him.

"Bunny!" exclaimed Behemoth.

This frightened the Easter Rabbit, who quickly hopped into the safety of the sack in the bathtub.

"AH-CHOO!"

Another very loud sneeze came from Ed, who remained near the town hall doors.

That's when Double D panicked. "Eddy!" he whispered to his friend. "Ed's _allergies_!"

Eddy stopped laughing. "Oh, right," he said. Then he let out a groan. The last thing they needed right now was a Viking blimp with purple polka dots. "Uh, Ed, maybe you'd better step outside for a minute."

"No need to, Eddy," said Ed, his voice proving that he was completely congested. "There is no need to panic, for Lothar's mission has been fulfilled!" Despite looking completely miserable, Ed had a big smile on his face. That was when Double D began to get suspicious. What exactly had Ed done?

"It's not Sandy Claws," Jack said to the three kids. "Take him back!"

"But we did what you said," said Lock.

"We went through the door . . . " said Barrel.

"Which door?" asked Jack. "There's more than one! Sandy Claws is behind the door shaped like this!" He then showed the three kids a Christmas cookie in the shape of a Christmas Tree. The three kids stared at it, then . . .

"I told you that Lothar guy was lying!" Shock shouted, pointing at Ed. Then she jumped on Lock.

"Knock it off!" said Barrel, joining the fray.

The smile disappeared from Ed's face.

"Ed . . . " said Double D. "Is there something you'd like to share with us?"

Ed wiped his nose, then hung his head in shame. "I've been a bad Viking, Double D," he said sadly.

"ARR!"

Suddenly, the whole room was silent. Lock, Shock, and Barrel immediately stopped fighting and started cowering. Jack had just put on one of his scariest faces and let out a _very _loud shriek. Boy, did _that _shut them up. However, Lock, Shock, and Barrel weren't the only ones affected . . .

Double D was so frightened that he must have jumped about three feet into the air. When gravity got a hold of him again, he landed on his butt with a THUD. His face was as white as Jack's, and he was trembling badly, with no sign of stopping. He quickly scurried behind the Mayor's podium to hide.

Eddy hadn't jumped as high as Double D, so he landed on his feet. But when he had landed, the jolt caused his jaw to clamp down onto his tongue. Hard. Now he just stood there, wide-eyed with pain, not saying a word.

It was hard to tell whether it was from the sudden shock, or from a sudden wave of disorientation because of his allergies, but either way, Ed had toppled over backwards, and now he was lying on his back near the town hall doors, not moving.

Now the whole room was dead quiet, save for the pain-filled high-pitched "Eeeeee . . . " sound coming from Eddy which, if any higher, would have probably been more appropriate on a dog whistle.

Jack broke the silence, since he was the only one not terrified beyond rational thought. "I'm very sorry for the inconvenience sir," he said to the wriggling sack. "Take him home first, and apologize again," he instructed Lock, Shock, and Barrel. "And be careful with Sandy Claws when you fetch him. Treat him nicely."

"Got it!" said the three kids, exiting the town hall. "We'll get it right this time!"

A few seconds after they left, Ed realized that his mission was unfulfilled once again. He got up, wiped his nose again, and left without saying a word, following the three brats and their bathtub.

Jack turned to Eddy, who was still wide-eyed with shock, and Double D, who was peeking out from behind the Mayor's podium, still trembling and his face still white as a sheet.

"Well, why are you two standing around?" asked Jack. "There's still plenty of work to be done, and I can't do it without the experts!"

Eddy forced a smile. "Uh . . . yeah," he said through his gritted teeth. "I'll be right back. I gotta go find the Doc and ask him if he knows how to sew a tongue back together." Eddy then left the town hall, his hands clamped over his mouth.

"And I'll get back to you as soon as my heart resumes beating, Jack," Double D said in a very shaky voice. "Excuse me . . . " He then sank back behind the podium.

Jack scratched his skull. "What's gotten into them?" he wondered aloud.

---

A few minutes later, after Eddy and Double D had fully recovered from shock, they were walking around town with Jack. Everyone seemed to be hard at work, even Sally, but the two boys could tell that she was still very reluctant. But everyone else certainly wasn't.

Clown: **_This time, this time_**

Ghosts: **_Making Christmas_**

Corpse: **_Making Christmas_**

Mayor:**_ Making Christmas, making Christmas  
Is so fine_**

Corpse Parents, Clown: **_It's ours this time  
And won't the children be surprised_**

Together: **_It's ours this time_**

Corpse Kid: **_Making Christmas_**

Mummy: **_Making Christmas_**

Together: **_Making Christmas_**

Witches: **_Time to give them something fun_**

Witches, Undersea Gal:**_ They'll talk about for years to come_**

Everyone:**_ Let's have a cheer from everyone_**

Devil: **_It's time to party_**

Vampires: **_Making Christmas_**

Vampires, Duck Toy: **_Making Christmas_**

Vampires: **_Snakes and mice get wrapped up so nice  
With spider legs and pretty bows_**

Winged Demon: **_It's ours this time_**

Corpse Father, Werewolf, Devil: **_All together, that and this  
With all our tricks we're  
Making Christmas-time_**

Werewolf: **_Here comes Jack_**

Now that it was actually going to _happen_ really soon, Eddy and Double D found that Sally didn't seem to be the only one who felt reluctant about the whole thing. As they walked through the town with Jack, they couldn't help but feel pangs of unsureness deep in their stomachs. It took all their strength to laugh along with Jack.

Jack:**_ I don't believe what's happening to me  
My hopes, my dreams, my fantasies  
Hee, hee, hee, hee_**

Edd, Eddy: **_Heh, heh, heh, heh . . . _**

Harlequin Demon:**_ Won't they be impressed, I am a genius  
See how I transformed this old rat  
Into a most delightful hat_**

Jack: **_Hmm, my compliments from me to you  
On this, your most intriguing hat  
Consider though this substitute  
A bat in place of this old rat _**

Huh! No, no, no, now that's all wrong  
This thing will never make a present  
It's been dead for much too long  
Try something fresher, something pleasant  
**_Try again, don't give up_ **

Mr. Hydes: **_All together, that and this  
With all our tricks  
We're making Christmas-time_**

Everyone: **_This time, this time_**

Jack: **_It's ours!_**

Edd, Eddy: **_It's yours!_**

Everyone:**_ Making Christmas, making Christmas  
La, la, la  
It's almost here  
And we can't wait  
So ring the bells and celebrate  
'Cause when the full moon starts to climb  
We'll all sing out_**

Jack: **_It's Christmas-time  
Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee_**

Edd, Eddy: **_Heh, heh, heh . . . heh . . . _**

Unfortunately, Jack noticed how weak that last laugh was. He turned to Double D and Eddy. "Are you two all right?" he asked them.

"Oh, uh, yes," Double D lied.

"Uh, yeah," said Eddy. "Just . . . jitters."

"Oh . . . " said Jack. "Well, that's all right. To tell you the truth, boys, I'm a bit nervous myself. But it will all be worth it once Sandy Claws gets here!"

"Yes, I'm sure it will, Jack . . . " said Double D.

Eddy and Double D looked at each other and tried to smile, but all they could do was hang their heads in shame. The Stouthearted Eds didn't feel so stouthearted anymore.

---

The feeling wasn't any better in Christmas Town either. Ed was frantically running through the knee-deep snow. He just had to make it to Santa's house so he could warn him! He couldn't let those nasty brats do anything to harm him! Ed was going to prove once and for all that he was a good elf.

Ed finally found Santa's workshop . . . just in time to see Lock, Shock, and Barrel throwing a sack over the jolly old elf's head.

"SANTA!"


	9. Oogie Boogie's Song

Back in Halloween Town, everything was almost ready. Eddy and Double D were watching Sally put the finishing touches on Jack's "Sandy Claws" outfit. As they watched, Eddy and Double D agreed on one thing: Jack didn't look a thing like Santa Claus.

"You don't look like yourself, Jack," said Sally, in a last attempt to change her friend's mind. "Not at all."

"Isn't it wonderful?" Jack asked as Sally sewed. "It couldn't _be _more wonderful!"

"But you're the Pumpkin King," protested Sally, holding up an old picture of Jack.

"Not anymore," said Jack, taking the picture and snapping it in half on his knee. "And I feel so much better."

Sally, Double D, and Eddy were shocked at what Jack had just done.

"I hadn't counted on that one," Eddy said to Double D. Double D nodded in agreement.

"Jack, I know you think something's missing," Sally said as she ran a needle and thread through Jack's sleeve. "But . . . "

Sally was so distracted that she accidentally pricked Jack's finger with the needle.

"Ow."

"S-sorry," Sally stammered when she realized what she had done.

"You're right," Jack said, looking at himself in the mirror. "Something _is _missing. But what?"

Sally, Double D, and Eddy's faces lit up. Maybe Jack _did _have some reason in him.

"I've got the beard, the coat, the boots . . . "

Sally sighed sadly, Double D groaned, and Eddy rubbed his temples, the pressure of a headache building. Eddy certainly knew what Jack was missing: his logic!

"Jack, Jack! This time we bagged him!"

Eddy looked up to see Lock, Shock, and Barrel running toward them, with a wriggling sack once again in the walking bathtub.

"This time we really did!" said Lock.

"He sure is big, Jack!" said Shock.

"And heavy!" added Barrel.

"It is not fair . . . "

Eddy and Double D looked at each other. They knew that fourth voice. And he didn't sound happy.

And sure enough, Ed trudged through the crowd, his head hanging low. His eyes were watery again, but this time it wasn't from allergies.

Eddy and Double D ran to their friend. "Oh dear," said Double D. "Don't be sad, Ed. It will all work out."

"Yeah, Lumpy," said Eddy. "Don't take it so hard."

"But now I'll never be an elf!" blubbered Ed. "And terrible things to Santa they will do!"

Eddy bit his lip. He may have been ignorant at times, but deep down, he didn't like seeing his friends sad. He frantically looked around, searching for an idea. His eyes fell on Jack, who was now talking to Santa Claus.

"See that he's comfortable," Eddy heard Jack say to Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Then, "Just a second, fellas!" Jack paused, as if he were thinking. "Of course! That's what I'm missing! Thanks!" He then took Santa's hat and placed it on his head, much to Santa's protest.

As Lock, Shock, and Barrel began to leave with Santa, the lightbulb went off in Eddy's head. He turned back to his sad Viking friend.

"Hey, Ed . . . " he said. He then leaned over and whispered something in Ed's ear. As Ed listened, a hopeful smile appeared on his face.

"Really, Eddy?" Ed asked his friend.

"Yep," said Eddy. "You'd better hurry so you can catch up to them."

"Thank you, Eddy!" said Ed. He got up and ran after Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

"Eddy, what did you tell him?" asked Double D, suspicious.

"Oh, nothing," said Eddy. "I just told him this little secret."

"What secret?" asked Double D.

"Oh, the little secret about the "special job" Jack gave Ed," said Eddy. "I told him that he didn't hear it from me, but Jack gave him the assignment of keeping Santa company while Jack was off being a nut. Santa's sure to make Ed an elf if he's super-nice to him."

Double D was confused. That didn't sound like something Jack would say. Then his eyes lit up. He realized what Eddy had done.

"That was a nice thing you did, Eddy," he said.

Eddy was surprised. Apparently, he hadn't thought about being caught. "Oh . . . well, it's not like I was being nice or anything," he said in fake annoyance. "I just wanted him to stop all that blubbering! I have a bad enough headache."

Double D smiled. He knew Eddy was faking. This was the kind of thing that really made them Stouthearted Eds.

Then Double D spied Sally. She did not look happy. She looked worried. "This is worse than I thought," Double D heard her say. "Much worse . . . I know!" She then disappeared into the crowd.

---

Ed could plainly see Lock, Shock, and Barrel right in front of him. And he could hear everything they were saying, too.

"Where are we taking him?" asked Barrel.

"To Oogie Boogie, of course," said Lock. "There isn't anywhere in the whole world more comfortable than that. Jack said to make him comfortable, didn't he?"

"Yes he did," said Shock and Barrel.

"Haven't you ever heard of peace on earth and goodwill toward men?" asked Santa.

"NO!" the three children exclaimed.

Ed stopped. They were talking about that "Oogie Boogie" guy again. The guy who would do terrible things to Santa! Who _was _he? But whatever the case, according to Eddy, Jack had given him a special job, and he had to do it! He ran after the three kids.

---

Before Ed knew it, he was back at the tree house. He followed the children and the bathtub into a lower level in the tree house.

"Don't do this!" Santa said. "Naughty children never get any presents!"

But, of course, Lock, Shock, and Barrel ignored the jolly old elf, and proceeded to force him down what looked like a big metal chute.

"I think he might be too big," said Shock.

"No, he's not!" said Lock. "If he can go down a chimney, he can fit down here!"

Then, with one last big push, Santa disappeared down the chute!

"SANTA!" yelled Ed. He then burst into the room and jumped down the chute headfirst.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel just stared. What had just happened?

"Was that Lothar?" asked Barrel.

"I think it was," said Lock.

"Good!" said Shock. "It serves him right for tricking us like that!"

---

When Ed finally emerged from the chute, he fell straight down and landed on Santa.

Ed grinned when he saw who he was with. "Hello Santa," he said. "My name is Ed, and an elf I wish to be!"

Then Ed looked around. He and Santa seemed to be in the middle of a giant roulette table. Santa was lying on his back, his hands bound together above his shoulders. Ed, of course, wasn't being restrained, so he could stand up.

Suddenly, the lights began to dim, and then everything began to shine with a neon glint. Ed could tell that black lights were causing everything to glow neon. "Cool," he said, touching his bright orange beard.

Then he stopped. He turned around. Two massive doors opened, and a pair of dice rolled out.

"Lay low, Santa," said Ed, readying his spatula. "Something wicked this way comes."

Unfortunately, Ed was right.

Oogie Boogie:**_ Well, well, well!  
What have we here?  
Sandy Claws, huh?  
Ooh! I'm really scared!  
So you're the one  
Everybody's talkin' about!  
Ha, ha, ha! _**

You're jokin'! You're jokin'!  
I can't believe my eyes!  
You're jokin' me! You gotta be!  
This can't be the right guy!

He's ancient! He's ugly!  
I don't know which is worse!  
I might just split a seam now  
If I don't die laughin' first!

Mister Oogie Boogie says  
There's trouble close at hand!  
You'd better pay attention now  
'Cause I'm the Boogie Man!

And if you aren't shakin'  
There's something very wrong!  
'Cause this may be the last time  
You hear the Boogie song!

Whoa oh!

Three Skeletons: **_Whoa oh!_**

Oogie Boogie: **_Whoa oh!_**

Two Skeletons:**_ Whoa oh!_**

Oogie Boogie: **_Whoa oh!_**

Three Bats: **_Whoa oh!  
_**  
Together: **_I'm (he's) the Oogie Boogie Man!_**

Apparently, there was "something very wrong" with Ed, because he wasn't the slightest bit scared. In fact, he was actually a little _disappointed_ with the bright green oversized potato sack dancing around him! _This _was the "Oogie Boogie" guy those brats kept talking about? Ed had seen worse monsters than this guy! He didn't look so tough! But still, he wanted to hurt Santa, and Ed wasn't going to take that sitting down. He pointed his spatula at Oogie.

Ed: **_Release him now or you must face  
The dire consequences!  
The children are expecting him  
So please, come to your senses!_**

Oogie Boogie:**_ Ha! You're jokin'! You're jokin'!  
I can't believe my ears!  
Would someone shut this brat up?  
I'm drownin' in my tears!_**

**_It's funny! I'm laughin'!  
You really are too much!  
And now, with your permission  
I'm going to do my stuff!_**

Ed: **_What are you going to do?_**

Oogie Boogie: **_I'm gonna do the best I can! _**

Whoooah

The sound of rolling dice  
To me is music in the air!  
'Cause I'm a gamblin' Boogie Man  
Although I don't play fair!

It's much more fun, I must confess  
With lives on the line!  
Not mine, of course, but yours, old boy!  
Now that'd be just fine!

Ed: **_Release him fast or you will have to  
Answer for this heinous act!_**

Oogie Boogie:**_ Oh, brother, you're somethin'!  
You put me in a spin!You aren't comprehending  
The position that you're in! _**

It's hopeless! You're finished!  
You haven't got a prayer!  
'Cause I'm Mister Oogie Boogie  
And you ain't goin' nowhere!

As Oogie danced around, he attached a hook to the rope holding Santa. Ed watched as Santa began to be hoisted into the air. Then Oogie took another hook and walked over to Ed, only to notice that Ed wasn't bound. But that didn't stop Oogie. He simply shrugged and _jammed the hook into Ed's eyebrow!_ Ed didn't seem to mind, though. He smiled contentedly as he too was hoisted in the air, next to Santa.

Ed looked over at the terrified Santa, then back down at Oogie (which can be hard to do when you're hanging in the air by your eyebrow). "Do you think there will be an encore performance?" he asked Santa.

All Santa could do was roll his eyes.


	10. Sally's Song

A crowd had gathered at the center of Halloween Town, but for a different reason this time. They were all waiting for Jack to emerge from the coffin sleigh he would be driving.

Of course, Double D was still very nervous about the whole thing. Then he saw Sally make her way through the crowd over to the fountain. He quickly ran over to her, just in time to see Sally pouring something into the fountain water.

"Sally, what's that?" he asked.

"Fog Juice," she answered.

"Fog Juice?" Double D repeated. "What does it . . . "

Just then, a very thick fog began to pour out of the fountain. And at the same time, Jack emerged from the coffin. The crowd cheered. Double D and Sally walked over to where Eddy was standing.

The Mayor began to read a speech for Jack. "Think of us as you soar triumphantly through the sky, outshining every star," he read. "You who are our pride, you who are our glory. You who have frightened billions to an early grave."

As the Mayor read, the fog kept pouring from the fountain. And it began to get worse. And more noticeable.

"You who have . . . uh . . . devastated the souls of the living . . . " the Mayor tried to continue.

"Oh no!" said Jack. "We can't take off in this! The reindeer can't see an inch in front of their noses!"

Sally breathed a sigh of relief. Double D smiled. Now he understood! Sally had made the fog so Jack couldn't take off and go through with his crazy plan!

Eddy, however, had other plans. "Go time!" he whispered to himself.

"Eddy?" asked Double D. But it was too late. Eddy had already disappeared into the fog. That was when Double D remembered Eddy's original plan. His eyes widened. Could Eddy do it without getting caught?

"There go all my hopes," said Jack. "My precious plans, my glorious dreams . . . "

Double D could faintly make out Eddy sneaking into the back of Jack's sleigh, where the bag of presents was being kept. Nobody else seemed to notice.

Just then, Zero began to bark. His jack o' lantern nose lit up.

"No Zero," said Jack, shielding his eyes. "Down, boy. Zero . . . My, what a brilliant nose you have! The better to light my way! To the head of the team, Zero! We're off!"

"What?" asked Sally.

"What?" asked Double D.

"What?" asked Eddy, slightly peeking out from inside the sack.

Then Jack signaled the reindeer to go, causing the sleigh to lurch forward, sending Eddy toppling over in the back of the sleigh.

"Uh oh . . . " he mumbled as the sleigh became airborne.

"Wait, Jack!" called Sally. "No!"

"Oh my gosh!" said Double D. "Eddy's still in that thing!"

"Jack!"

"Eddy!"

But it was too late. The sleigh was soaring over the clouds, away from Halloween Town, with Jack and Eddy in it!

Everyone in Halloween Town cheered. Well, almost everyone . . .

"Good bye, Jack," said Sally. "My dearest Jack." She began to walk away from the crowd. "Oh, how I hope my premonition was wrong . . . "

Double D ran to catch up with Sally before he lost her in the fog. But what could he say to cheer her up?

"Sally, please don't be sad . . . " Double D tried, but ended up failing miserably. "Like I can even say that . . . "

Soon, both of them were so worried about their friends, they started singing. But it wasn't exactly like the songs they had heard before . . .

Edd: **_I sense there's something in the wind  
That feels like tragedy's at hand  
And though I'd like to stand by him  
Can't shake this feeling that I have_**

Sally: **_The worst is just around the bend  
And does he notice my feelings for him?  
And will he see how much he means to me?  
I think it's not to be_**

Edd: **_What will become of our dear friends?  
Where will their actions lead us then?  
Although I'd like to join the crowd  
In their enthusiastic cloud_**

Sally: **_Try as I may it doesn't last  
And will we ever end up together?  
No, I think not, it's never to become  
For I am not the one_**

Sally and Double D sat down on some steps. A nearby cat jumped into Sally's lap, and she began to stroke it longingly. As she did, Double D looked up at the starry sky. He was not only worried about the consequences of Jack's actions, but what the Pumpkin King was going to do when he found the extra baggage on his flight . . .


	11. Christmas Eve Montage

Jack Skellington was riding through the fog in his coffin sleigh. Luckily, Zero's nose was very bright, so he didn't have that much difficulty seeing. When the fog finally cleared, Jack was thrilled to see his destination. The human world!

Meanwhile, inside the present sack, Eddy was sifting through the presents in the dark. He kept having to remind himself to be quiet about it because Jack was _right there_. As he looked for his present in vain, Eddy began to wonder why he hadn't done this earlier.

Suddenly, the sleigh hit solid ground with a THUMP, causing Eddy to bounce up and hit his head on the lid of the trunk.

"Ow!" he said, then quickly clamped his hands over his mouth. Had Jack heard him?

Jack stepped out of the sleigh and reached into the trunk to grab his sack. As he flung it over his shoulder, he noticed that it seemed heavier now than it had been in Halloween Town.

"Maybe I made more presents than I thought . . . " Jack said to himself as he walked over to the chimney.

Eddy felt himself being pushed down the chimney, which was filled with soot. He quickly covered his nose and mouth so he wouldn't cough and blow his cover.

When Eddy felt solid ground again, he wanted to take a peek so badly. But that would mean blowing his cover, and that was the last thing he wanted right now.

That was when Eddy thought of something. Jack would have to open the sack to get the presents out. Meaning Eddy would be caught no matter what! Mentally grumbling, Eddy dug his way to the bottom of the sack. But as he was making himself comfortable . . .

"Santa?"

Eddy stopped. He knew that voice. Nobody had a high, squeaky, annoying voice like that. Nobody except . . .

As Jack was about to open the sack, he heard a small, timid-sounding voice. He turned around and saw a little boy with curly hair and a huge orthodontia brace attached to his head. He was wearing a light-blue pajama suit.

Jack smiled. "Merry Christmas!" he said, walking up to the boy. "And what's your name?"

The boy was shocked. He never knew Santa Claus was so pale and skinny. "Uh uh," he mumbled, taking a step back.

Now Eddy was positive that he knew that voice. It was Jimmy's voice! This was Jimmy's house! He was in Peach Creek!

"That's all right," Jack said to Jimmy. "I have a special present for you anyway." He turned to his sack. As he reached for it, a pair of hands shot out, holding Jimmy's present. "Thank you," he said, taking the present. The hands quickly disappeared into the sack. Jack turned back to Jimmy. "There you go, sonny," he said, handing Jimmy the present. He then picked the sack back up, and crawled back up the chimney.

Eddy was mentally beating himself up. Why the heck had he done that? "_Real smooth, Eddy,_" he thought to himself. "_Jack's sure to be onto me now!_"

But surprisingly, Jack didn't even seem to notice. He simply put the sack back in the trunk and took off to the next house.

Eddy didn't interfere with the next houses. He simply laid low at the bottom of the sack, hoping like heck Jack wouldn't see him. Miraculously, with every house they visited, Jack didn't seem to notice Eddy.

But Eddy was beginning to notice something strange. At each house they visited, every time they left, he seemed to hear screaming. Eddy began to get suspicious. What exactly had Jack put in those presents?

---

Back in Halloween Town, the townspeople, including Sally and Double D, were watching Jack through a cauldron in the Witches' house. A nearby radio was on, too. Sally and Double D were not liking what they were hearing.

"_Reports are pouring in from all over the globe that an impostor is shamelessly impersonating Santa Claus, mocking and mangling this joyous holiday. Police assure us that this moment, military units are mobilizing to stop the perpetrator of this heinous crime."_

"Military units?" asked Sally. "Oh no . . . " She had to do something! "Jack. Someone has to help Jack. Where's that Sandy Claws?" She then got up to leave.

When Double D saw Sally leaving, he decided that he needed to go, too. "Wait, Sally!" he called after her. "I'm going with you!"

"Double D . . . " said Sally.

"If you're going to find Santa, chances are that Ed's probably there, too," said Double D. "We're going to need his help to save Eddy and Jack."

"Okay, you can come," said Sally.

"Where do you think they took Santa?" asked Double D as they began to run down the empty streets of Halloween Town.

"I have a pretty good idea about that," said Sally.

---

Jack was soaring high in the sky when he noticed something.

"Look, Zero!" he called to his dog. "Searchlights!"

The only problem was they weren't just searchlights. They were targets. And guns aiming for the coffin sleigh flying overhead. They began to shoot, trying to knock it out of the sky.

"Fireworks!" Jack exclaimed. "They're thanking us for doing such a good job!"

Just then, one of the bullets narrowly missed Zero.

"Whoa, careful down there," said Jack. "You almost hit us." Zero whimpered. "It's okay, Zero. Fly higher!"

So Zero flew higher, above the clouds. They were no longer shooting at Jack. Jack decided to take some time to look over his list.

"Let's see . . . " he said, taking his list out. "I gave that shrunken head to Jimmy . . . "

Eddy stirred inside the sack. A _shrunken head_? He held back snickers. Jimmy definitely deserved that, considering all the nasty things that sneaky twerp had done to Eddy.

"I gave that zombie doll to Sarah . . . "

A _zombie doll_? Now Eddy held back laughter. Sarah deserved that even more! She was even worse than Jimmy! She deserved something that was probably more suitable for her brother, Ed.

"And I'm sure Kevin will enjoy that flaming stick . . . "

"_Flaming _stick?" Eddy asked out loud, popping his head out of the sack.

"Gotcha, Eddy."

Eddy froze. "_BUSTED!_" he screamed in his head. Had Jack even turned around?

"It's about time, Eddy. You really like hiding, don't you?"

Eddy's eyes widened. Then . . . Jack had . . . that meant . . .

JACK HAD TRICKED HIM AGAIN!

Eddy, furious, turned around to look at the Pumpkin King. Jack was facing away from Eddy.

"Like I said before, you've got nothing on me, Eddy."

Eddy, not knowing what else to do, opened his jaw . . . and clamped it down onto the edge of the metal trunk in frustration.

"As long as you're here, you might as well sit up here where it's more comfortable."

Eddy looked at Jack. Sit up with _that _loser? After he had tricked the Prank King not just once, but _twice_?

"No way!" said Eddy, releasing his grip from the trunk.

"Yes way," said Jack. Then he reached behind him, grabbed Eddy by the collar of his costume, and set him down next to him in the sleigh. "There you go. Is that better?"

"No!" said Eddy, still very angry. He slumped down in his seat and peered over the edge of the sleigh. He had to admit, this _was_ a much better view than from the sack.

"I really don't like that you've been spying on me, Eddy," said Jack.

"I wasn't spying!" protested Eddy.

"Then what _were_ you doing?" asked Jack.

Eddy sat up. He couldn't tell Jack his true motive. That would ruin everything. "Uh . . . uh . . . wouldn't you like to know?" he finally said. He then turned away and went back to looking over the side of the sleigh.

When Jack looked at Eddy, he couldn't help but notice the map of Halloween Town sticking out of Eddy's back pocket. What bugged him the most was that the map looked very familiar. Maybe . . .

"Hey Eddy," said Jack.

"What?" grumbled Eddy.

"Tell me again where you got that map."

"What, this thing?" asked Eddy, taking the map out. "I already told you, it was my brother's. I just found it." He paused. "Why did you want to know?" he asked, a little quieter than before.

"Well, you see, I've only known one other person with a map like that," said Jack. "He was an old friend of mine, but I haven't seen him for a few years."

"Really . . . " said Eddy. "What was his name?"

Jack smiled. "You know, during the time I spent with him, I don't think I ever found out his real name," he said. "When we first met, I asked him, but he said it wasn't important. He was dressed up as something called a Red Baron, so I just called him Baron."

Eddy turned back to Jack. "_Huh, what a coincidence,_" he thought. When he was three and his big brother was twelve, Eddy remembered that his big brother dressed up as the Red Baron for Halloween.

"When did you first meet him?" asked Eddy.

"Nine years ago, on Halloween night," said Jack. "I wasn't as famous as I am now, though."

Eddy's eyes widened. That was more than a coincidence. That was actually a little creepy.

"And how long did you two know each other?" Eddy asked.

"For about six years," said Jack. "We only saw each other once a year, on Halloween, but he always showed up. And he was always dressed up as something different. But we always would just walk around and chat about things."

Eddy thought back. As he grew up, he noticed that his brother always seemed to disappear for long periods of time on Halloween night. And whenever Eddy asked him where he went, his brother would never answer him. Eddy looked at the map in his hands. He began to wonder . . .

"Jack . . . when was the last time you saw him?"

"Oh . . . " The smile disappeared from Jack's face. He looked sad. "That was about three years ago. It was Halloween, and he was just about to go home . . . and then he said he had something serious to talk to me about. He said that he wouldn't be able to come back to Halloween Town . . . that he had to go far away and wouldn't be able to see me anymore. He hasn't been back since. I really miss him . . . "

Eddy stared at the map again. Three years ago, his brother had to leave for college. He had one last question for Jack.

"Jack . . . did he ever say anything about a little brother?"

Jack's eyes lit up. "Now that you mention it, yes he did," he said. "In fact, that was his favorite thing to talk about. Every year, he would talk about how his little brother was just like him, and how he always played with these two friends of his who had the same name as he did. He mentioned that they were always trying to trick the other kids out of their money so they could buy something called a 'jawbreaker' . . . and now that I think of it, that was the last thing we ever talked about. He promised me that he was going to leave the map so his little brother would find it one day and come play with me. The only problem was that Baron never told me his little brother's name . . . "

Eddy smiled. He looked like he was going to cry. "Jack . . . I think I just might know who Baron's little brother is."

"You do?" asked Jack. "Who . . . " That's when he realized something. He looked at the map again. Then he looked at Eddy. "You say this was your older brother's map?" he asked quietly.

All Eddy could do was nod.

"Oh my gosh . . . " said Jack. He was so shocked, he almost dropped the reins controlling the reindeer. Now he felt like crying, too.

"And you know what?" Eddy asked softly. "I miss him too."

Eddy and Jack just stared at the map for a while. Was this really . . . was it really Eddy's . . . did he really . . . ?

Jack broke the silence. "Eddy, do you want to steer the reindeer?"

Jack's question surprised Eddy. "Really?" he asked, putting the map back in his pocket.

"Sure, it's not that hard," said Jack.

Eddy carefully took the reins from Jack. He was a little shaky at first, but he immediately got the hang of it. "_Maybe Jack isn't so bad . . . _" he thought.

This moment of peace, however, was not meant to last.


	12. Shot out of the Sky

Sally had led Double D right to the tree house near the woods. And Double D could tell just by looking at it that it wasn't going to be easy rescuing Ed and Santa.

"Just as I thought," Sally whispered, peering into one of the windows. "Sandy Claws was taken to Oogie's place."

"Oogie?" asked Double D, gulping. "Who's that?"

"The meanest character in all of Halloween Town," said Sally.

"I was afraid of that," said Double D.

"And it looks like he has your friend, too," added Sally.

Double D cautiously peeked in. Sure enough, Ed was dangling in the air by his eyebrow next to Santa. And of course, Ed had a smile on his face. "_Typical . . . _" thought Double D. "So, what's the plan Sally?" he asked his comrade.

"It goes like this . . . " Sally answered.

---

Later, inside Oogie's lair, Oogie picked up a pair of dice. "Are you a gambling man, Sandy?" he asked, walking over to Santa. "Let's play!" But before he could start the game, a rustling sound caught Oogie's ear. "Huh?" When he turned around, he saw a woman's leg sticking out from behind the door. "My, my. What have we here?" he asked, walking away from Santa.

As Oogie walked away, a pair of hands slid down the rope holding Santa. One hand clapped over Santa's mouth, and the other pointed up.

There, above Santa and Ed, peering out of a barred window, were Sally and Double D.

"We'll get you out of here," whispered Sally. Her hands began to untie Santa.

"Hello, Double D!" whispered Ed. "Do you want to be an elf, too?"

"Not quite, Ed. . ." whispered Double D.

By this time, Sally's hands had freed Santa. Double D began to lower a rope ladder down. At the same time, Double D cringed at the sight of Oogie playing with Sally's leg.

"Hurry!" Double D whispered to Santa. "While he's distracted!"

"Oh, good plan Double D!" Ed whispered as Santa began to climb up the ladder. "I'll distract that guy while you guys go for help!"

"Ed, we _are _the help," whispered Sally.

"LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN, FALLING DOWN, FALLING DOWN!" Ed suddenly began singing at full volume.

"Ed, no!" hissed Double D. "Shhhh!"

But it didn't really matter, because at the same time, Oogie realized that there wasn't a body attached to the leg he was playing with. "_What?_" he yelled, turning around. "You try to make a dupe out of me?"

Oogie then took a deep breath and inhaled, causing a strong suction throughout the room. It ended up pulling poor Santa back in, along with Sally and Double D, who had fallen out of the window. The only one who wasn't affected was Ed, who kept singing over the noise.

"LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN, MY FAIR LADY!" Then the suction pulled Ed's eyebrow free from the hook, and he landed on the ground with a THUD. Then he sat up laughing. That's when he finally noticed what exactly Oogie was doing. "Have mercy, deframed creature from the Netherworld!" Ed shouted as he, too, was sucked in.

* * *

Eddy could barely sit still as he waited in the sleigh for Jack. They were now at Rolf's house, and Jack was busy giving Rolf his present: a possessed sheep shearer. 

Just then, Jack came back up the chimney. "So, how'd it go?" asked Eddy.

"It was tricky, actually," said Jack. "I almost didn't find a place to put the present. The whole living room was covered in meat."

"That's Rolf for ya," said Eddy as the sleigh went airborne again. "He's the farm boy from the 'old country'."

"You seem to be enjoying this, Eddy," said Jack. "You've been smiling the whole time."

"Well, of course I am," said Eddy. "They deserve it!"

"Hmm?" asked Jack. "Those kids deserve my presents?"

"They sure do, considering the way they treat Ed, Double D, and me like dirt!" said Eddy.

"Why's that?"

"Heck, I don't know!" said Eddy. "Geez, you trick them out of their money once or twice, and they totally turn on you . . . "

"You trick those kids out of their money?" asked Jack.

"That's what I said," said Eddy.

"Well, if you ask me, Eddy, it seems that you aren't giving those kids a good reason to be your friend."

Eddy was a little shocked by this. He hadn't really thought of it like that. "Oh . . . um . . . I guess you might be right. I guess we could lay off the scams once and awhile . . . "

"Scams?" asked Jack. "What kind of scams?"

"You name it, and we've probably tried it," said Eddy. "Canadian squirt guns, wax dummies, bee extermination, career counseling, time travel . . . the list goes on and on. I guess we'll do anything just to get our hands on jawbreakers."

"So, what exactly _is _a jawbreaker?" asked Jack.

"Just the most mouth-watering, delectable, insatiable piece of hard candy in the entire stinkin' world!" answered Eddy. "They're a big ball of hard candy you stuff in your cheek, and then you just let it melt in your mouth. It's _so _good, Jack. But _don't _chew on it or try to swallow it. Ed found that out the hard way once . . . "

"Candy, huh?" said Jack. "They sound good. I'll have to try one."

"Jack, I promise you, when we're done with this, I'll get you a jawbreaker even if it kills me," said Eddy.

"Why thank you, Eddy," said Jack. "I'd like that."

Just then, something rammed into the side of the sleigh, jerking Eddy and Jack side to side.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Eddy.

Jack looked over at the side. There was a big hole in it. Then he looked down. Pure terror appeared on his face. He could finally see the guns aiming at the sleigh.

"They're trying to shoot us!" Jack exclaimed, the horror present in his voice. "ZERO!"

Zero and the skeletal reindeer tried to dodge the bullets, but soon the sky was full of them, and they became impossible to dodge.

"STOP SHOOTING!" Jack yelled at their attackers. "There's a kid up here!" But, of course, nobody could hear them.

Then, the biggest bullet of them all was fired, and it was headed straight for the middle of the sleigh!

"Oh man," said Eddy, who had spotted the big bullet. "This is gonna hurt in the morning."

Then, without thinking, Jack threw his body on top of Eddy's just as the bullet struck. The sleigh exploded in mid-air.

Eddy felt himself falling, and he slowly began to lose consciousness. The last thing he heard before blacking out was Jack's voice ringing throughout the sky.

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night . . . "

* * *

Unfortunately, everyone in Halloween Town had seen the explosion in the Witches cauldron. And they all assumed that the worst had happened. 

"I knew this Christmas thing was a bad idea," said the Mayor, crying. "I felt it in my gut." He then got into his car and began to drive around, speaking into the loudspeaker in his car. His sad voice echoed throughout Halloween Town. "Terrible news, folks. The worst tragedy of our time. Jack has been blown to smithereens. Terrible, terrible news."

---

Things weren't so good in Peach Creek either, as terrified families cautiously peeked out of locked houses. Another news report rang through the empty streets.

"_Attention, attention citizens. Terrible news. There's still no sign of Santa Claus. Although the impostor has been shot down, it looks like Christmas will have to be canceled this year. I repeat, the impostor has been shot down but there's still no sign . . . "_


	13. Eddy's Halloween, Poor Jack

**Author's Note**: "Eddy's Halloween," the song Eddy sings in this chapter, is a parody of the song "Halloween" from the musical _Rent_. Like "Stouthearted Eds," I just made up the new lyrics. "Halloween" and _Rent _belong to their respected owners.

* * *

Eddy couldn't see. No, it wasn't like he was blind, or anything like that. He knew he was still alive, and he could see. It was just that every time he tried to open his eyes, everything spun. And he couldn't stop it. So he just sat there with his eyes closed, rubbing his head. 

"_Stop it, stop it!_" he yelled in his head. "_Stop spinning!_" Finally, after what seemed like forever, he could finally see clearly. As he looked around, he realized that he was sitting in Peach Creek Cemetery. He was sitting in the snow against a giant tomb with a statue of an angel on top of it. But that wasn't what Eddy was freaking out about.

All around, Eddy could see the charcoal remains of the presents he and Jack had yet to deliver, and a few feet away was the remains of the coffin sleigh, still ablaze. But what scared Eddy the most was the thing lying right next to him. It was the Santa hat Jack had been wearing.

Eddy carefully reached over and picked up the Santa hat. Unlike Eddy, it didn't look that bad. "Well Eddy, what have we learned today?" Eddy asked himself out loud. "Nothing, just like everything else that goes wrong." Eddy looked around the cemetery. "Oh, who am I kidding? I knew this wasn't going to work. I knew this kind of thing might happen. But I still risked my life for a stupid present." Then he gazed at the Santa hat in his hands. "Great . . . " Then, in a wave of grief, Eddy suddenly found himself singing.

Eddy: **_How did we get here?  
How the heck . . .  
Pan left - close on the town, that's my home  
_**

_**How did I get here?  
How the heck . . .  
Halloween, Halloween - that night**_

_**How could a night so chilly  
Become so scalding hot?  
How could a joyous night so mild  
Become so raw?**_

**_Why are entire weeks strewn  
On the cutting room floor of memory?  
When single frames from one magic night  
Forever flicker in close-up  
On the 3-D I-max of my mind_**

That's poetic . . . that's pathetic.

**_Why did I find that old map of Bro's  
And my Stouthearted Eds choose to  
Join me in my newest scheme?  
Why did Jack discover Christmas Town?_**

**_Why am I the witness?  
And when I capture it in my mind  
Will it mean that it's the end  
And I'm alone?_**

When Eddy stopped singing, he shook his head. "_I've been hanging around Jack too long,_" he thought. "_I'm starting to talk like him . . . _" That's when a new realization struck Eddy with the same force that bullet had struck the sleigh with.

_What happened to Jack?_

Everything that had happened came back to Eddy. Jack had known Eddy's brother! Eddy's brother had left the map of Halloween Town for him to find Jack! He and Jack were actually becoming friends! And . . . Jack had . . . Jack had thrown himself on top of Eddy so he wouldn't get hurt.

Now a new feeling filled Eddy's stomach. It wasn't unsureness. It was guilt. Plain and simple.

_So what had happened to Jack?_

"Jack?" Eddy called out into the cemetery. No response. "_Jack?_" he called a little louder. That time, he was answered by a very low voice, filled with pain and mourning.

Jack: **_What have I done?  
What have I done?  
How could I be so blind?  
All is lost, where was I?  
Spoiled all, spoiled all  
Everything's gone all wrong_**

Eddy quickly stood up and looked straight above him. There, wrapped in the outstretched arms of the angel statue, was Jack. Eddy immediately wished he couldn't see the Pumpkin King. Jack's Santa costume had been ripped to shreds from the explosion, and the tattered remains looked awful wrapped around his body. In addition, Jack himself looked like he was in so much pain. Then Eddy heard whimpering, and realized that Zero was floating near the ground next to him.  
****

Jack: **_What have I done?  
What have I done?  
Find a deep cave to hide in  
In a million years they'll find me  
Only dust and a plaque  
That reads "Here Lies Poor Old Jack"_**

Jack's voice sounded so sad, Eddy found himself crying. Sure, he had gone along with the plan, but this whole thing was _Jack's _idea. Jack must have felt ten times worse than him! "_But even so. . ._" Eddy thought. "_Does he have to lay it on so. . .heavy?_"

Jack: **_But I never intended all this madness, never  
And nobody really understood, well, how could they?  
That all I ever wanted was to bring them something great  
Why does nothing ever turn out like it should?_**

Eddy actually took a step back on that one. Now Jack looked mad. Very mad. But Eddy realized that if there was actually a chance that they could set things right, this pity-fest had to stop! So, Eddy took a deep breath and spoke, though he was still badly shaken and he stuttered badly as he spoke to Jack.

Eddy: **_Well, what the heck, you went and did your best  
And, by God, you really tasted something swell, that's right  
And for a moment, why, you even touched the sky  
And at least you left some stories they can tell, you did_**

That's when Jack finally noticed Eddy standing down there. Two feelings washed over Jack: pure relief that Eddy was okay, and agreement, because he knew Eddy was right. So he jumped down from the arms of the statue into the snow below. He smiled and nodded to Eddy.

Jack: **_And for the first time since I don't remember when  
I felt just like my old bony self again  
And I, Jack, the Pumpkin King  
That's right . . . _**

Eddy: **_What?_**

Then Eddy watched in shock as Jack suddenly ripped the remains of his Santa suit off, revealing his old black and white pinstripe suit underneath.

Jack: **_I am the Pumpkin King! Ha, ha, ha, ha!_**

Jack shouted his last line, causing Eddy to jump again. But Eddy soon found Jack's laughter contagious. As Jack began to dance around the cemetery, Eddy was laughing hysterically.

Jack: **_And I just can't wait until next Halloween  
'Cause I've got some new ideas that will really make them scream  
And, by God, I'm really going to give it all my might!_**

Eddy: **_Woo-hoo hoo hoo!_**

Just then, Jack stopped. Then he thought.**_  
_**

Jack: **_Uh-oh. I hope there's still time to set things right._**  
**_Sandy Claws, hmm . . . _**

Jack turned and looked at the tomb under the angel statue where Eddy stood. He suddenly realized its purpose. Jack ran over to the tomb, taking the Santa hat from Eddy and putting it in his pocket. Then he opened the doors of the tomb, grabbed Eddy by the arm, and half-dragged him inside. Zero followed them in.

"Let's go, boys," said Jack. "Christmas isn't over yet!"


	14. To the Rescue

Things were not looking well for Sally, Santa, Double D, and Ed.

Oogie had bound all four of them, and was about to finish them off. The four of them had been placed on rising panels that were part of Oogie's giant roulette wheel, Sally and Santa on one, Double D and Ed on the other. Below them was a cauldron filled with hot lava, with a machine that looked like a cross between a spider and an eight ball was mixing it. If the panels were at just the right angle, it would send all four of them straight into the lava! And that just happened to be what Oogie was planning.

Double D was concentrating on straining his body hard enough to free himself from his restraints. Ed, of course, was the only one who didn't seem afraid. Instead, he had a disappointed look on his face again.

"Double D, you guys weren't supposed to get caught," Ed said, turning to his friend.

Double D shot a nasty look at Ed, then went right back to straining.

"You wait until Jack hears about this!" Sally was saying to Oogie. "By the time he's through with you, you'll be lucky if you . . . "

Just then, the Mayor's sad voice rang in through the windows. "Skeleton Jack is now a pile of dust. Oh, Jack! You're gone! This Mayor and all of Halloween Town mourn you!"

---

At the very same moment, a pair of doors under a statue a few feet away from the tree house opened, and Jack, Eddy, and Zero emerged.

Eddy was confused. Were they back in Halloween Town? He peered back into the doors. "That was weird . . . " he mumbled.

"Come on!" urged Jack, grabbing Eddy's arm again. They began to sneak up to the tree house.

---

Sally and Double D were frozen in place. Had they just heard the Mayor right? Was Jack really . . . ?

"But . . . but . . . " Double D stammered. "Eddy was on that thing . . . "

"Eddy was where, Double D?" asked Ed.

"What's that you said about luck, Rag Doll?" asked Oogie.

"Help, help!" yelled Sally.

"EDDY!" Double D called out in despair. "EDDY!"

"I don't think Eddy can hear us down here Double D," said Ed.

---

"_Wanna bet?_" Eddy thought. He could hear everything loud and clear. He and Jack were standing at the base of the cage elevator. The only way to go? Straight down.

"Shhh!" Jack shushed Eddy and Zero. Eddy quickly nodded. He understood.

Then Eddy watched uncertainly as Jack began to climb down the rope. Then he gulped, and carefully began to climb down after the Pumpkin King, Zero in tow.

---

"Seven!" said Oogie after rolling his dice. "Look's like it's Oogie's turn to boogie!" He then walked over to a lever and cranked it seven times. With each crank, the panels kept rising, and each crank was accompanied by the combined screams of Sally and Double D.

"They must be really excited to be elves, huh Santa?" asked Ed.

"This can't be happening!" said Santa.

Ed stared for a second. "Huh?" he asked.

Double D glanced at Oogie. He looked like he was going to roll the dice again! It would be all over for them! "Eddy . . . "

"Jack . . . "

Sally's voice surprised Double D. He turned his attention to her. "If only I had stopped you from going, you'd still be here. I needed to be braver . . . "

Oogie rolled the dice again. "What?" he asked. "Snake eyes?" He looked at the dice for a second. "Let's call it eleven!"

Sally's voice once again reached Double D's ears. "To tell you how I truly feel . . . "

"Sally . . . " Double D began, but he was quickly interrupted by another crank from Oogie.

"Bye bye, losers!" said Oogie.

"_Good-bye, Jack,_" thought Sally.

"Good-bye, Eddy!" cried Double D. "Good-bye forever!"

"I'll never be an elf now, Double D!" cried Ed.

The panels flipped over. Oogie went over to the cauldron of lava to see the destruction . . .

But nothing had happened.

"Huh?" Oogie went back over to the panels and flipped them back right side up. There was no Sally, no Ed, no Double D, no Santa.

In their places sat an angry-looking and all-too-familiar skeleton and a short boy dressed like a Zombie Elvis.

Oogie jumped. This was _not _part of his plan.

"Hello, Oogie," said Jack, stepping off of the panel.

"And Ed?" asked Eddy, turning to his friend, where he stood a safe distance away, along with Double D, Sally, Santa, and Zero. "Shut up."

"Eddy!" cheered Ed. Double D was crying too hard to say anything.

"Jack!" said Oogie in pure shock. "B-but . . . they said you were dead! You must be . . . " As he backed away, Oogie pressed a secret button on his roulette wheel. ". . .Double dead!"

"Yes?"asked Double D.

Eddy turned back to his friends. "Double _dead_, not Double . . . Deeeeee!"

Suddenly, the giant roulette wheel came to life. It began to spin at an incredibly fast rate. The eight ball spider machine that had been mixing the lava began to quicken its speed as it began to rise into the air. At the ends of the roulette table, giant Suicide Kings popped up and began to slash their swords.

The sudden speed increased had knocked both Jack and Eddy to the ground. "Oh no," Eddy groaned as he lay on his back. "These rides always make me throw up!"

"Well, come on Bone Man!" Oogie said as Jack struggled to his feet. But it wasn't easy, considering all the sharp, pointy objects being slung in their direction.

"Oogie, get ready," said Jack. "We're coming for you."

"_We?_" asked Eddy as he, too, tried to stand up. But his weak constitutions made him have to resort to lying on his stomach.

Jack immediately sprung into action. He began to dodge the Suicide King's swords and the eight ball spider's legs while trying to catch up to Oogie. The only problem was that the closer Jack got, the farther Oogie backed away!

Poor Eddy had to crawl against the direction which the roulette wheel was turning. But on the plus side, he was so close to the ground that nothing seemed to touch him. That was when he tried to stand up again. This time, he was succeeding.

As Eddy was standing up, Oogie began to realize that he wouldn't be able to keep this up. He needed something else. He ran over to another button and quickly pushed it.

Jack didn't catch what happened when Oogie pressed the button, but Eddy and his eagle eyes sure did. Eddy could just make out something breaking loose from Oogie. "_Is that . . . a thread?_" he thought.

But before he could think of anything else, something else appeared on the battlefield. It was a group of three mechanical soldiers holding guns, and Eddy was right underneath them! Of course, Eddy didn't think much of it . . . until the guns started shooting real bullets!

Jack jumped on the arms of the soldiers, out of harm's way. And since Eddy was standing _underneath _them, the bullets didn't reach him either.

"Yeah, that's _real _intimidating," said Eddy. "Is that all you got?"

"Jack! Look out!"

Jack and Eddy turned around and saw a giant buzz saw being hurled straight at them! Jack jumped down and grabbed Eddy, getting away from the buzz saw just as it chopped off the shooting arms of the soldiers.

Now Oogie was really panicking. He had run out of tricks! But just as Jack and Eddy were walking toward him, the panel that Oogie was standing on sprung up, catapulting Oogie to the top of the eight ball spider machine.

"So long, Jack!" said Oogie. Then he began his maniacal laugh again.

But Eddy saw something different. He saw an opportunity. Dangling right in front of him was the thread he had seen break off from Oogie earlier! He quickly grabbed the thread as that mischievous smirk once appeared on his face. Then he realized that he wasn't the only one who had grabbed the thread.

"How _dare _you treat our friends so shamefully," growled Jack as he grabbed the thread. Then he looked at Eddy, who nodded. They both began to pull on the thread.

"What?" asked Oogie. Then he was surprised by the fact that his arm was opening up. "No. . .no. . .don't . . . NO!"

Jack and Eddy kept pulling on the thread, and as they did, they directed it straight into the eight ball spider machine's spinning legs.

Well, that caused the whole sheet covering Oogie to yank off! The sheet got tangled with the eight ball spider machine, causing the roulette wheel and the tricks to stop.

And as for Oogie? Well, the only thing left of him was . . . a giant pile of bugs shaped like him!

"Now look what you've done!" yelled Oogie . . . or what was left of him, anyway. "My bugs, my bugs, my bugs . . . "

Everyone else watched as the bug pile grew smaller, and all the bugs fell straight into the lava!

Double D was dumbstruck. Ed seemed quite content with the sight. Eddy's jaw dropped. All Santa and Sally could do was stare. Jack was the only one unaffected.

Only one blue bug remained. And it escaped the lava. "My bugs, my bugs . . . " it yelled as it scurried across the floor.

CRUNCH!

Santa ground the bug into the ground. But other than that, nobody seemed to want to say anything.

Eddy finally broke the silence. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but _that _right there was probably the single-most disgusting thing I've seen in my life." Then he walked over to his speechless friends. "So, boys . . . who's the man with the plan?"

"EDDY!" Ed and Double D cheered at full volume.

"You got that right!" said Eddy as the other two ran up and hugged him.

As the Stouthearted Eds were reuniting, Jack walked over to Santa and gave him back his Santa hat. "Forgive me, Mr. Claws," said Jack. "I'm afraid I've made a terrible mess of your holiday."

"Bumpy sleigh ride, Jack?" asked Santa. "The next time you have the urge to take over someone else's holiday, I'd listen to them!" As Santa talked, he pointed at Sally, Double D, and Eddy. "They're the only ones that make any sense around this insane asylum! Skeletons, boogie men, Vikings . . . "

"Hello!" said Ed when he heard himself being mentioned.

"Ed, you're so stupid you don't even know when you're being insulted," said Eddy.

"I hope there's still time . . . " Jack began.

"To fix Christmas, Jack?" asked Santa. "Of course! I'm Santa Claus!"

And laying a finger aside his nose, up Oogie's chimney he rose!

"Wait! Santa!" Ed called, chasing after the jolly old elf. "TAKE ME WITH YOU!" But he was too late. "Aww . . . "

"Never mind, Ed," said Double D. "At least you did your job right."

"Yeah Monobrow," said Eddy. "You're sure to be on the top of Santa's nice list now!"

Ed's face lit up. "I'm such a good boy!" he said happily.

"Which reminds me," said Double D. "Eddy, did you ever find your present?"

"My what?" asked Eddy. Then he remembered. His eyes widened. Then he clutched his head. Double D and Ed began to laugh.

"He'll fix things, Jack. He knows what to do."

Sally's voice caught all three Stouthearted Eds' attention. They turned to the other two people in the room.

"Sally, how did you get down here?" asked Jack.

Sally blushed. She rubbed her hands together. "Oh, I was trying to . . . " she stammered. "Well . . . I wanted to . . . to . . . "

"To help Jack, Sally?" Double D encouraged. Then all three Eds smiled smugly. They knew what was coming.

"I couldn't let you just . . . " Sally tried again.

"Sally . . . " Jack interrupted. "I can't believe I never realized . . . that you . . . "

"Jack! Jack!"

"_What?_" Eddy asked in pure disbelief.

"And it was just getting good!" Ed complained.

Just then, another window opened. The Mayor peered inside, along with Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

"There he is!" said Barrel.

"Alive!" said Lock.

"Just like we said!" said Shock.

The Mayor lowered down a rope. "Grab a hold, my boy!" he said.

Jack and Sally grabbed the rope and began to get pulled up.

"WAIT FOR US!" Eddy yelled as he, Double D, and Ed ran to catch the rope too. They just made it. All five of them, along with Zero, were hoisted out of Oogie's house.

The danger was finally over.


	15. Finale, Stouthearted Eds Reprise

Another news report was flooding through Peach Creek, but it was definitely different from the one before.

"_Good news, folks. Santa Claus, the one and only has finally been spotted. Old Saint Nick appears to be traveling at supersonic speed. He's setting things right, bringing joy and cheer wherever he goes. Yes folks, Kris Kringle has pulled it out of the bag and delivered Christmas to excited children all over the world!"_

---

In Halloween Town, the citizens were just waking up. And they had a big surprise waiting for them. The Mayor drove into town in his car, Sally sitting next to him. Jack was riding on the front of the car, Zero flying next to it. The Stouthearted Eds were sitting on the top of the car with Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

It's very safe to say that the townspeople were pleased by this.

Chorus:**_ La, la, la, (etc.)  
Jack's okay, and he's back, okay_**

Child Corpse, Chorus: **_He's all right_**

Mayor, Chorus: **_Let's shout, make a fuss_**

Chorus: **_Scream it out, weee  
_**  
**_Jack is back now, everyone sing  
In our town of Halloween_**

The Stouthearted Eds and Sally watched as Jack walked up the stairs of the town hall with the Mayor. He was all smiles now.

Jack: **_It's great to be home!_**

Then, Halloween Town got another surprise, and it was one not even Sally could predict.

Santa: **_Hohohohoho  
Happy Halloween!_**

Everyone watched as Santa flew over Halloween Town in his sleigh, and before they knew it, snow flakes were falling down on Halloween Town. As all three Eds smiled, content with their work, they were surprised to find three wrapped boxes at their feet. Curious, each Ed took a box and opened it. And they were definitely thrilled with what was inside each one.

Ed Edd n Eddy: **_Jawbreakers!_**

Jack: **_Merry Christmas!_**

As the Eds focused on their newly acquired jawbreakers, the townspeople focused on the white stuff that was now falling down on the town.

Corpse Kid: **_What's this?_**

Cyclops: **_What's this?_**

Harlequin Demon:**_ I haven't got a clue_**

Mr. Hyde: **_What's this?_**

Clown: **_Why, it's completely new_**

Someone: **_What's this?_**

Werewolf: **_Must be a Christmas thing_**

Someone: **_What's this?_**

Mayor: **_It's really very strange_**

Chorus:**_ This is Halloween_**  
**_Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_**  
**_What's this?  
What's this?  
(repeat)_**

Dr. Finkelstein: **_Careful, my precious jewel!_**

Double D and Ed were already eating their jawbreakers, but for some reason, Eddy hesitated. He looked at the present in his hands, then at the Pumpkin King he had become such good friends with. He smiled.

"Hey, Jack!"

Jack turned his attention from the doctor and his new wife to the Stouthearted Eds.

"We're gonna head on out," said Eddy.

"You're leaving?" asked Jack.

"Afraid so," said Eddy. "We've got our own Christmases to attend to."

Jack's face softened. "I'll see you boys again . . . right?"

"Are you kidding?" asked Eddy. "After everything you put us through? After nearly getting us _killed_?" Eddy paused. A smile formed on his face. "You'd _better_ expect us next year, Pumpkin King. You're _stuck_ with us."

Then, in a move that stunned both Double D and Ed, Eddy tossed his Christmas present to Jack.

"Eddy . . . " said Double D.

"Huh?" asked Jack.

"A little something for your troubles," said Eddy.

"What is it?" asked Jack.

"I said I'd get you a jawbreaker even if it killed me, right?" asked Eddy.

Jack's eyes widened. Was this really . . . ?

"Eddy . . . " Double D repeated, stunned.

"Eddy, that's your jawbreaker!" said Ed.

"It is?" asked Jack. "Oh Eddy, I couldn't . . . "

"Look, it's Christmas, and I'm in a giving mood, okay?" asked Eddy. "Hurry up and accept it before I change my mind."

Jack smiled. "Thank you, Eddy," he said.

Eddy grinned his biggest grin. "Time to head on out, boys," he said to Double D and Ed. They began to head out of Halloween Town.

"Merry Christmas, Stouthearted Eds!" said Jack.

All three Eds gave one last wave to Jack before exiting the gate.

---

"Well gentlemen," said Double D as they were walking. "I'd say this story had a pretty happy ending."

"I suppose," said Eddy. "But now we have to go back to our old Christmases, with the same old hilarity, the same old tacky clothes, the same old rushing around . . . "

"Is that Miss Sally?" asked Ed, interrupting Eddy.

The Eds stopped. Ed was right. There, sitting by herself on the top of Spiral Hill, was Sally.

"Hey, that _is _Sally," said Double D. "Strange. Now why on earth is she up there all by herself?"

That's when Eddy happened to glance over at the entrance to the graveyard. His face lit up. He smiled again. "Hey boys," he said. "I think this happy ending's about to get a little better." He pointed to the entrance. When Ed and Double D saw what Eddy meant, they began to smile, too.

Jack: **_My dearest friend, if you don't mind  
I'd like to join you by your side  
Where we can gaze into the stars_**

Jack, Sally: **_And sit together, now and forever  
For it is plain as anyone can see  
We're simply meant to be_**

The Stouthearted Eds watched in silence as Jack and Sally hugged at the top of Spiral Hill. Even Eddy looked close to tears.

"Oh Sally . . . " said Double D.

"Come on boys," said Eddy. "Let's get out of here."

And so the Stouthearted Eds left Halloween Town and went back to Peach Creek. And the whole time they were traveling back, they weren't walking. They were marching. And singing.

Ed Edd n Eddy: **_We are the Eds  
_**_**Yes, the Stouthearted Eds  
**__**And we fight for the candy we adore**_

_**Start you with ten  
**__**Of our stouthearted scams  
**__**It's okay, we have ten thousand more, oh!**_

_**Shoulder to shoulder  
**__**And bolder and bolder  
**__**We grow, as we go through the fore**_

_**Then, everything in the world  
**__**Just halts and fails our plan**_

_**But, Stouthearted Eds  
**__**Must stick together Ed to Ed!

* * *

**_

**Author's Note**: Well, only one chapter left, and this story will be complete! Betcha can't wait, huh? Until then, happy reading! ;)-**AMX**


	16. Epilogue

Eddy knew he should be in bed. He was exhausted. Over the past who-knows-how-many weeks, he had discovered a whole different world behind a door in the woods, teamed up with a skeleton to run Christmas, found out that he and the skeleton both missed his big brother, got shot out of the sky, and saved Double D and Ed from a horrible, flaming death. And it wasn't easy sneaking back into his house either!

But he knew he had to do this. If he didn't do it now, he was sure to forget it.

So Eddy did something that he hadn't done in a long time: he took out a piece of paper and a pencil, and began to write.

_Dear Bro,  
__Well, it took a while, but I finally found that old map of yours in that secret compartment in the attic. As long as you have secrets in this house, I'm going to sniff them out. Nothing is safe.  
__Anyway, I don't know if you wrote that poem or not, but it was completely true. I found out where holidays come from, and it was awesome. I can see why you left the map for me to find. You wouldn't believe the night I've had.  
__Once you get this letter, I'll tell you about the night I had in the next one I send you. Until then, I'd just like to see you suffer (serves you right!) But I will tell you this much: Consider Halloween Town rocked by the Stouthearted Eds!  
__This letter writing stuff is still new to me, so I'm just gonna end it here, or else I'll probably fall asleep at my desk (I gotta get some sleep, tomorrow's a big day, you know!)_

_Your brother,  
__Eddy._

Eddy put the pencil down. He stared at the letter. It was still missing something . . . That's when it hit him. He picked up the pencil again. As he began to write again, he glanced at the magical map that had started an unspeakable adventure for the Stouthearted Eds sitting on his desk.

_P.S. Jack says "Hi."

* * *

_

**Author's Note**: And that, my friends, is the story of how Ed Edd n Eddy met Jack Skellington. Thanks to all who love this fic and all who reviewed it. But fear not, my loyal fans; the Stouthearted Eds' adventures in Halloween Town aren't over yet. Not by a long shot! Keep an eye out for my next story, coming very soon! But until then, peace out, and happy reading! ;) -**AMX**

**Coming Soon**: _Ed Edd n Eddy: Oogie's Revenge_


End file.
